Distant Thunder
by Cacat-angel
Summary: When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. HITEN/KAGOME chap 15 updated
1. Captive

**11.20.02**

**SUMMARY**: When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she woud have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me. 

A/N: Ok, i'm comin outta my closet with. And now, the author of YAKUZA presents to you, (not that anyone would give a damn, lol) *drum roll* ...... my first Hiten and Kagome fic!Hey, admit it, Hiten is one heck of a devilish hunk ^____^**

  


* * *

**Distant Thunder **  
By: cacat-angel

**chapter 1**: Captive

Woman! Lead us to the one you call Inuyasha! And if you are making this up, I will personally open a window in your pretty little face. Hear me well.

Those were the words that ringed endlessly in Kagome's restless mind. Even now, alone in this cold, dark room, his threat remained. Furtively, she stared at the splintered wooden door across the room, a heavy, solid oak door that had been carelessly torn down by him, as if it were a piece of paper. It was pitch black beyond the door, and yet Kagome watched with bated breath, half expecting the soft thud of cloth shoes followed by his snarling voice, and his murderous intentions.

Hiten.

The thunder youkai who possessed the youthful face and body of a human, but the cruel, destructive soul of a youkai. She had thought him to be merciful, at least more than his brother Manten. But she was horribly mistaken. After all, she had witnessed it all first hand, hadn't she? How he had made a large, gaping hole in his mate's face just now. And it was not a scene she wanted to be thinking of at this moment. Because that could very well be me, with a hole in my face...

Fighting back the shudder that coursed through her body, she rolled over onto her side and curled herself into a tight ball, tucking her clammy fingers beneath her chin. The granite floor she laid upon brought back unpleasant memory, doubtless. 

The reijuu-brothers were nothing short of an abomination. But of course. They were youkai. What had she expected? This was a lesson she had yet to learn...never judge a youkai by its skin. 

Sighing, she lifted her face towards the window. It was a rectangular opening set in the wall and crudely crafted out, supported by individual wooden poles. But it was more than suffice to provide a view of the night-sky. 

And despite her perilous situation, Kagome's breath caught as she gasped in amazement. 

The sky was dark as pale misty clouds swirled and floated past softly, and a single star shone through the thin layers of clouds, lighting up its surroundings with a pearly white glow. Funny, how something so beautiful could be seen at this...youkai lair. 

Silently, she wondered if Inuyasha was looking at the same star as she was. It was perhaps the single thought which seemed to cheer up her a little. Inuyasha...what are you doing now? Are you thinking of me, like I am, of you? 

The almost peaceful silence was shattered abruptly by a piercing, high-pitched yowl. 

Frowning, Kagome pushed herself upright, brushing glossy strands of black hair away from her face. She looked around the room, her puzzled gaze finally settling on the gaping hole before her. She could still make out the ghostly outlines of the wooden door, but beyond it, all was pitch black. And still, the yowling carried on, sometimes ascending in pitch and volume, sometimes accompanied by low grunting noises.

_What on earth..._

Eyebrows meeting together , she pushed herself upright, bewilderment drawn across her delicate features. But that didn't mean she would just leave things as they were. Curiosity was a trait she wished she hadn't possessed, but as it were, her feet and ears just seemed to have a mind of their own.

Rather reluctantly, she scrambled to her feet and groped her way out of the dimly lit room, and into the positively black corridor. Her fears were forgotten for the moment, and she craned her ears, wishing that she had Inuyasha's supernatural sense of hearing. 

"Yeaaooowww..."

Then again, maybe not. 

***   


  
Nope. She would definitely not want his hearing. By this time, the calls had loudened to an ear splitting screech. Wincing, she cupped her hands against her ears. Perhaps _this_ would be her ticket to freedom. She could even device a mini-plan to escape, say...

"Ok, stop making excuses. You're just a busybody, Kagome." She muttered under her breath. 

Following the noises, she stopped before a large shoji door, dark and partially shrouded by shadows. Yup, it's definitely coming from behind the sliding doors. 

While Kagome might have been inquisitive, she certainly wasn't dumb. Well at least, she didn't think so herself. Licking her index finger to wet it, she rubbed her slender digit in a circular motion against a square panel on the sliding door. A hole soon appeared on the thin rice paper. 

"Ooo..." Of course, she hadn't thought it would have worked like in the TV shows. 

***  


Kagome held her breath, feeling as though somebody had just placed a steam kettle in front of her face. She knew she shouldn't be watching. This was just...wrong. Very wrong. What on earth was she doing? She should have just left, the minute she saw what was inside. Should have tried to escape, even. Anything. 

And yet, there was something about the scene before her which trapped her gaze and held her mesmerized. Some strangely disturbing kind of allure.

There he lay, entwined within the exotic sheets flung carelessly about the room. From her peep hole, she watched his naked back, muscles rippling smoothly as he supported himself on his elbow. His long, thin queue hung down his back and swayed with his motion. The thin sheen of sweat covering his back glimmered softly in the flickering candlelight. 

Then, she finally saw, although it was partially blocked, that there was someone _below_ him. 

She swallowed as a wave of confusion swept over her. Manten? As far this creepy place was concerned, there were just Manten and Hiten. So was that the younger brother then? _Surely not...his body would have been to bulky for me not to see him, wouldn't it? Then...who is that?_

"And more importantly, what, for the love of Kami, _are_ they doing?" Craning her ears further, she pressed as close to the shoji door as she could.

***

  
  
Kagome never knew that she had just exceeded her limits. She had no idea. So she never expected Hiten to bolt suddenly, never expected the bright, lightning flash in front of the hole, before the entire shoji door was flung violently aside. 

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, human wench?"

And Kagome could only gape, as she sat on her rear, with Hiten towering before her. The aura had radiated from him so suddenly, she felt nauseated. It reeked of evil. Pure, demonic evil. Looking up at the tall, strapping man who stood before her, his red pupils dilated and shining with an awful glow, his grin wild and insane and showing his razor sharp canines, she had a very strong urge to burst into tears. 

"Ko-kowaii..."

It was a whimper, soft and breathless, but his sensitive ears allowed him to hear it as though the wench was right before him. His mad grin widened even further. "Kowaii? You don't mean..." He paused and kneeled over, bending until his nose almost touched hers. Her breath was warm, sweet. Quivering. And she smelt...rather delectable. "...ME, do you?!" He snarled suddenly, lunging himself forward.

With a squeal, Kagome scrambled backwards on her hands and feet. Frantically, her mind whirled as she tried to find an escape route, an excuse, anything. This youkai was dangerous. It wasn't just about the way he looked. There was just something in his aura...something wild and primal...something bestial.

Gotta be calm...you've faced worse. Like...the man-eating mask. Wasn't that a hundred times grosser compared to him? Ooh for goodness sake, Inuyasha's more of an animal than him! 

"Don't be silly, I never said anything about scary." Humph. She wasn't about to let him know her weakness anyway. 

With a snort, he settled himself on his haunches, eyeing her warily. 

Kagome almost balked. She most certainly hadn't expected to be let off this easily. She shuddered. This was one of the reasons why Hiten scared her so much. He was unpredictable. While Inuyasha, hot-tempered as he were, would fly into a rage if someone even so much as touched his ramen, you never knew what a person like Hiten would do. Chop off the offender's head, maybe. Never separate a man...ehem...youkai, and his food. But well, that was besides the point. Hell, even Manten was afraid of him. And they appeared to be close...

Suddenly, that thought seemed to bring her back to reality. Her eyes darted swiftly behind Hiten as she strained to see whoever, or whatever, lay beneath the covers. But Hiten was faster. Before she could even move a muscle, he had shifted to block her view, his large, blood red eyes never leaving hers.

"Tsk, tsk. Impatient aren't we." 

"Well. You seem like an honourable youkai. Surely you've got nothing to hide from a miserable human girl like me." Honourable? Yeah right. 

Hiten smirked and sat back down, his arms folded before him. That served to draw Kagome's gaze to his chest, which she had never noticed was bare, until this point. Well. Hmmm. He was certainly extremely well built...maybe even more so than Inuyasha...Gaaa!! Did I just think that?! I think I'm gonna be sick...again... 

Carefully, she masked her face and lifted it to meet Hiten's. 

"Well?"

"Well what?" Hiten frowned slightly at her. 

Kagome blinked. Hadn't he been listening? "I said, well, what do you have to hide from me?"

Hiten growled suddenly, the sound low and resonant, a loud rumble from within his throat. Without warning, he grabbed her by her hair and pulled downwards, earning a slight shriek from the wench. Perfect. The horrified expression on her face. Just, perfect. 

His contorted face was replaced by a smirk, which Kagome would have even thought handsome, had they been on friendlier terms. Ignoring the sharp pain and the fear that her crowning glory was in serious risk of being made a wig for Manten, she struggled against his grip, her small hands clasping themselves automatically over his thick forearm. "Let, go of me, you...you big brute!" 

"Not so soon, love." It was a new voice. Even as Hiten's death grip on her tresses loosened ever so slightly, Kagome could only gape in amazement at the woman leaning seductively against the shoji door, her large, perky breasts thrust firmly forward, green and white cloth swathed loosely around her curvaceous hips. 

Wasn't she...the snake-youkai from just now? 

- end chapter 1 -

* * *

And that's that! My very first Hiten and Kagome fic. Whaddya think?? oh and eh...nothing too graphical i hope. its all just talking ^___^   
  


***A/N: REVISED, 01.12.03*  
**  
did i say that above? well just give me a hard thump on the back of my head will ya??  
  
due to the graphical (yes, to answer my own question, it is too graphical) and provocative nature of the 'conversation' which went on between Kobu and Hiten (and has been actually scraped, for those of you who had read the chapter initially uploaded), I received quite an earful from Thunk for that, but I have only her to thank, for pointing out what many may have avoided, snorted at or possibly applauded. Made me realise that it was uncalled for, and embarrassingly tactless, not to mention OOC! So, into the trash can it went ^.^; quality of writing for changed bits might slacken, but at least it ain't all...smutty now =D  
  
She drilled some 'sense' into me, bringing to my attention that many underaged kids in FF.net (and elsewhere) might actually be exposed to mature scenes too complex for them to grasp fully - completely unneccessary, and maybe even_ be harmful_ to their teenhood developement.   
  
Lemon, schlemon, people. My advice? Be responsible for what you're writing, and the kids who might be affected negatively by them. **At least, that's what i'll be trying to do! **

(why...i'm one to preach...V__V;; don't bother flaming; i won't reply unless its actually rational, or your persuasive skills are as good as Thunk's. Just kidding ^ ^)


	2. Youkai Instincts

**11.26.02**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she woud have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reishou brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to devlop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

* * *

**Reishou brothers - **The lightning-beast brothers

**Youkai - **Demon

**Hentai - **Pervert

**Kowaii **- Scary

**Futon - **Thick mattress or bed laid on the ground for sleeping 

* * *

**Distant Thunder   
**By: cacat-angel

**chapter 2: **Youkai Instincts

"What do you mean you're not going to rescue Kagome??" An indignant kitsune squeaked, his cry of protest resounding through the otherwise silent forest. His round face red with anger. "But you can't just leave her to fend for herself...they would kill her!" 

"Exactly what I said. What I do is my business, brat." The hanyou spat, his long white mane blowing in the night breeze. He stood in the middle of the small clearing where they faced off, his large, golden eyes narrowing at the kitsune. ""And now that your guardian-angel Kagome is gone..." 

Shippou's chubby tomato-like face seemed to discolour as the hanyou before him bristled and cracked his knuckles. An immediate and sure sign of danger. 

Kagome was gone...which meant...

Instinctively, the little cub hopped and bounced backwards, leaving a relatively safe distance between him and Inuyasha. He brandished his signature kitsune ward in his tiny black hand, waving it wildly before him, warning the hanyou to keep away. 

He hadn't realised the blatant fact that Kagome's disappearance signified. Now, left alone with this half dog-demon which he barely knew, he could guarantee his own safety no longer. Before, Kagome had been quick to jump to his defence - if placing herself in between the cub and the hanyou wasn't enough, then her sharp command of 'osuwari' was sure to do the trick. It had saved his own hide countless times, though he never really did believe the foul-mouthed hanyou would be true to his own words and 'finish off' the younger youkai. 

But now, looking at the menancing pose the hanyou had taken up, claws flexed and fangs bared - an open challenge to the kitsune, daring him to speak up any futher, Shippo suddenly had every reason to fear for his own safety. 

Which just added a further notch to his guilt. Had he really been taking Kagome for granted? He remembered everytime the girl had stood up for him, tried to shield him from the brunt of Inuyasha's anger. And every single time, he had brushed off her help in a bout of childish anger.

Shippo grounded his tiny, sharp fangs against each other as he glared at the hanyou. His short, bushy tail twitched impatiently behind him. 

His impression of the dog was never high. And he had just thought of a new vocabulary to describe the brute perfectly - completely, and utterly selfish. Ok, make that four words.

He was about to voice his opinions to the hanyou pointedly - and risk his own hide once again - when the mangy dog made a sharp movement, swivelling about in the general direction of the east. His white tipped ears flicked and twitched nervously. It was as if he had heard something that Shippo's weaker hearing couldn't pick up. 

"Kisama..."

That was the last thing Inuyasha uttered before he heaved Kagome's metal contraption atop his back, and then bolted forward to pluck Shippo from the ground. Disregarding the kitsune's furious squeals of protests, he bounded off towards an unknown destination.

***

  
She's alive?! Kagome gaped in disbelief at the snake-youkai. Her eyes revealed her confusion as she gazed intently at the youkai's exotic features. This was Hiten's mate alright. The one he had by his side earlier on, when Kagome had first met him. 

Her skin was flawlessly pale with a yellowish tinge. Her slanted, yellow eyes with their green pupils, lined with a thick smudged purple line, returned her gaze lazily. But most importantly, there was not a single trace of a bleamish on her face, not even a scratch. 

Hadn't Hiten created a wide, gaping hole in her face just hours ago? Hadn't she witnessed, with her own eyes, the sheer viciousness as Hiten drove his fist through his mate's visage? How the female youkai had collapsed onto the ground like a lifeless mannequin, her pet snakes slithering around her body, probably puzzling over their mistress' sudden death? Why did the youkai...

Then Kagome realized all at once. Really, it was all too simple. She was a youkai, _that's _why she had survived. She was probably equipped with some inexplicable, rejuvenating ability. 

"Oh..."

The female youkai blinked, her tiny painted lips pursed together in a pout. "Oh? Is that all you can say?" This human girl _was _strange. And different, somehow. Wasn't she supposed to scream and hide in fear? There was something special about her, and closely, she saw something else. 

Suddenly, whatever lustful thoughts she had on her mind disappeared. And in its place, was something else. Her eyes gleamed suddenly. 

Moving away from the door she leaned against silently, she slinked around behind the girl, rubbing her breasts against the girl's back. Then she twisted and arched her body around so that she was pressed against the girl's side. Her lips curved with pleasure as the girl seemed to stiffen at her touch. 

"I am Kobu," she purred softly, trailing a sharp nail along the girl's jawline as her other hand reached out to massage the girl's slender neck from behind. "What shall I call you?" 

Meeting the youkai's strange gaze, Kagome suddenly found herself drawn to the youkai's green-yellow gaze. It seemed to swirl round and round, growing larger until they filled her vision and she could take nothing else in. All thoughts of the earlier disgust seemed to grow further away, until all that filled her mind were the youkai's mesmerizing stare.

Kobu saw that the girl's eyes were starting to take on the vacant expression. 

It was all that was needed. 

Slowly, the youkai's small lips seemed to widen and stretch open elastically, till they were unproportionately wide apart. Her tiny fangs extended to long sharp points dripping with acidic liquid and her tongue flickered out of from the depths of her throat. Rearing her head backwards, she emitted a sharp hiss as she prepared to strike...

And was suddenly thrown aside brutally. 

With a loud thump, she crashed in a heap against the shoji door. Her fangs missed her own tongue barely by a few inches as her head banged against the wooden wall. 

"That's enough, you bitch!"

The loud roar shook Kagome from her stupor. She started from her trance only to be greeted by a low rumble of thunder. Instinctively, she clapped her hands over her ears, not sure where that sentence had been directed towards. 

She should have covered her eyes instead. In front of her, the snake-youkai, Kobu, was about to be murdered by Hiten, again. 

"Stop it!" Kagome shrieked and without thinking, flung herself against Hiten, whose raised hand had just been about to lash out at the snake youkai. She had the element of surprise with her. Colliding with Hiten's rock-hard body, she caused him to stumble a few paces backwards, along with herself. 

It took him awhile to steady himself. When he did, he had Kagome in his grip even before she could free herself from the tangle of limbs. Wincing as her flailing hands and legs landed against him, he suddenly remembered why it had just been him and Manten all along. Why he had never dwelled with a female for longer than a decade. 

Females, be it demon, human or whatever goddamned species, where nothing but a pain in the ass. 

"Be still!" He snarled at the struggling human he gripped by the neck. He turned and shot a death glare at Kobu, who was just about to open her mouth to protest. "And you, be quiet! You are blessed by Kami that I have not ridded the world of your pathetic existence." He turned his blazing red eyes on Kagome, who had decided it was probably wiser to follow his orders. "The both of you! But rest assured, the day will not be far from now." 

Flinging Kagome against Kobu, he whipped about sharply on his heels, his long, black queue lashing behind him like a deadly spear, and stalked back into the room. 

But not before he halted and snapped a command to Kobu. "And remember, this wench is my brother Manten's. Do _not_ take her as prey, not unless you value your miserable existence." Snorting, he disappeared within the shoji door.

Kagome paled as she stole a glimpse at the snake youkai beside her. Prey?!

***  
  


In a rather cramped room located several stories above Hiten's lodging, Manten rolled over onto his huge stomach, creating another large dent in his futon as he grunted in his sleep. 

He muttered something about noisy, screeching hair and human wenches who seemed to sound like Hiten an-chan, slapping a pudgy fist against his cheek and scratching it absently. 

He was completely oblivious to the din below him, and oblivious to the fact that his handsome older brother was probably not as successful with women as Manten had imagined.

***  
  


"Whee-ere are yeeoouuu takiiiing meee?!" 

Speaking with the wind hurtling sharply against your face was close to impossible. Even for a smart mouthed kitsune cub who could easily have out-talked a certain half dog-demon. Who was used to being land borne, and had never travelled at the speed of sound, through the air, on the shoulders of an incredibly strong and fast hanyou. 

As it was, Shippo soon found that talking whilst doing so, was was a surefire method to either develop sagging jowls, or choke yourself on a combination of wind and your own saliva.

"Shut up kid. Just be glad that I ain't throwing you for the Reishou brothers to get at." 

He definitely had to find out how Inuyasha managed. It was probably some doggy talent of his. So bouncing jauntily and clinging on with tiny sharp claws for his dear life, Shippo had no choice but to remain silent throughout the rest of the journey, even if it meant obeying Inuyasha for once. 

Peace at last. If he knew this was a way to shut the damned kitsune up, he would have done it long ago. Not that the cub would have accepted, or even deserved a ride from him, under normal circumstances.

But what was that voice, calling out his name? The strange, hollow voice which seemed to travel with the wind. It spoke of something...of a promise, made long ago...

_Kikyo...is that you?_

-end chapter 2-  
  


* * *

ok...i'm still not sure how ppl's response will be towards this ficcie of mine. Its a pretty first-time attempt writing a story of this sort, with a feudal japan setting and having new characters and all. I hope you guys like it . 

**Reviews Corner**

**[Landlady of the Universe] **Yippeee you like him too??!! Ohmygosh i just cant stop drooling over hiten *droolz* and ehe i'm working on YAKUZA don't worry =P but u give me more of my PROMISES!!!!!!!!!

**[Quimberly] -** Heie thanx ^ ^ i've been looking high and low for hiten fics too...*pouts and crosses arms* hopefully, just hopefully, this'll be the start of more to come . i'm keeping my fingers crossed...

**[ForestKarma] **- he he he i can read your minnnd~~~~~ nah. but YESH he is so hot! i think i'm gonna draw a fanart of him too =D and thank you for supporting the pairing!!! *hugz* aha as for inu....umm...we'll see ne ^______^ 

**[dark angel] - **Hmm soon soon..but not just yet = )

**[Megumi-chan] - **wooopsie ^___^ didn't mean ta mislead ya *winks* 

**[yashyispoofy] - **hey thanks for reading my fic then, hope i wont disappoint u __

**[rEbEcCa] -** hope dis answers ur question!

**[tikimoof] -** hmm me no want chocolate, *not unless its chocolate hiten or chocolate sesshoumaru...i would love to gobble them into my tummy ; )*

**[DeMoN tAiNtEd] - **yoikes i was pretty embarrassed myself lol! but neways, glad it evoked dat reaction from u. just how i wanted it to be hehe

**[Rymsie] - **Thank you!!! personally, i find YOUR writing wonderful!!!!!!!

**[Kitty] - **oooo thanx a whole bunch!

**[Anne-twilight] - **you update TOOOOOOOO!!!! 

**[holly] - **Thanx ^___^ hope my disclaimer answered your questions...

**[blank] - @____@ **ehehheh *blushes* awww...


	3. A meal fit for a snake

**11.29.02**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she woud have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reishou brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to devlop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

**I swear, these babies write themselves on their own...i am one lucky writer blessed with a heck of a muse -_-...  
  
heheh. sorry bout the accidental-reuploading guys. when i revised the chapter, i kinda got mixed up between the the replacing chapter function and the new chapter function . but i guess u wont spot any changes unless ur really reading the story eh ^ ^**

* * *

**Reishou brothers - **The lightning-beast brothers

**Youkai - **Demon

**Hentai - **Pervert

**Kowaii **- Scary

**Futon - **Thick mattress or bed laid on the ground for sleeping 

**Chichiue - **The revered term for 'father'.

* * *

**Distant Thunder   
**By: cacat-angel

**chapter 3: **A meal fit for a snake

It was going to be a particularly long and perilous night, that was for sure. It seemed almost as though she were suspended in mid-air, over a valley filled with sharp spikes below, and bright flashes of lightning overhead. Symbolic, of course, of the two youkai currently at either sides of her. 

Dark. Everything was dark around her, mere outlines casted in shadows. The only light that entered, flitted through the same carved windows set in the grey stone walls. Kagome felt at the wooden floor below her gingerly. It was cold, and slightly damp. Not very surprising, considering they were high up in a mountain, nestled in the midst of the clouds. And it wasn't surprising considering the pespiration that was gathering on her palms.

"I suppose we are to stay out here, until his highness cools off," the snake youkai suddenly remarked in her soft, airy tone. She had somehow curled her long legs beneath her body in an almost impossible position. Yoga, probably. Her bony fingers twined about a sinewy lock of hair. 

Kagome gave what she hoped was a polite smile, but actually came across as plastic and forced. "I hope we won't be here too long. It's getting awfully chilly." Not literally of course. Having a snake-youkai settled right in front of you, licking her lips with a long, purple tongue and knowing she wanted to eat you, wasn't exactly a heartwarming situation to be in. 

"Oh, you are shivering. Are you cold?" Kobu asked with sinister curiosity. Her voice was high and lilting, carrying the faintest trace of a hissing punctuation. Her horrible tongue flickered out again. She cocked her head as she leaned forward and supported herself on her palms. 

Kagome couldn't help but notice the cracks which were starting to appear on Kobu's pale green skin. Cracks which peeled back slowly to form glistening patches of jade coloured scales. 

Cold? That was an understatement. 

"Uh...I uh...think I should return to my..." 

"So ssoon?" Kobu swayed to her feet and took slow, deliberate steps towards the quivering girl. Her pupils shrank until they were dark green slits in her yellow eyes. 

And Kagome suddenly found that she couldn't move or talk. 

"But ssseee...we've hardly aquainted ourssselvesss yet." The youkai's thin, scaly arms slithered behind Kagome's back, drawing the petrified girl closer into her embrace. The tongue fluttered against its victim's ear and left wet, glimmering slime in its trail. "Yessss..."

No! Kagome uttered a mute scream. It was the last she could hear of her own thoughts before the sharpness collided with her back and blackened her vision. 

***  
  


He could tolerate it no longer. Rising from the silken sheets he laid upon, he stormed towards the shoji door and thrusted out with a forceful fist, immediately creating a wide, tattered hole through the shoji door. As soon as his groping hand connected with the cool, smooth cloth that he seeked, he retrieved it ruthlessly. The wooden door caved in with a soft crackle, splintering against the force he used to pull the body across. Smatterings of wood and paper decorated the ground as the girl stumbled backwards. After a moment's battle, she gave in to the nature of momentum and crash-landed onto the tatami mat. 

He ignored the faint whishing of silken cloth from outside, and the pattering footsteps which faded into the dark. 

It was a wise choice Kobu had made to give up. For he had interrupted their little bonding session not because of the want or need to rob Kobu of her prey, or to rescue the wench. Rather, it was because of the precise fact that this human had already been claimed by Manten. And any property which belonged to either of the Reishou-brothers, was off-limits to all. An instant and often gruesome death, being the outcome.

Obviously, the conniving bitch had a desire to consume this human wench, despite his previous warning to keep away. She had sensed the power which resided within this human, just as he had. But unlike him, the weaker snake-youkai had craved this woman's flesh. It was a miserably desperate attempt of increasing one's life-force, one that lower class youkai often indulged in. 

But not Hiten. 

The only power source which beckoned to him relentlessly, reeled him in and tempted him, was the Shikon No Tama. The wretched jewel that meandered through his mind at night, often driving him close to near insanity. It called out to him even when he used his mental shield to block out its constant annoyance.

"Unn...hurts..." 

The soft mumble made him prick his ears and caught his attention. There she lay, sprawled on the ground as she panted and struggled feebly to get to her feet. Bending down, he wound his fist tightly around the girl's coal-black hair and lifted her clear into the air. She gasped in pain and he simply grinned.

"Having trouble standing?" 

***

The pain was intense, although still bearable. 

But even before Kagome could recover from the sudden impact, she found herself being dragged by her hair to her feet. She inhaled sharply. _Great. My back's bleeding, and now probably my scalp too. _

"Having trouble standing?" The voice was low, almost teasing. She didn't have to look to know that it was Hiten. But it did surprised her slightly, when his hold lightened and he set her down gently to the ground. Gently? Who was she kidding? He'd probably lop off all her hair the next minute. 

With the pain from her scalp subsiding, the previous wounds on her back seemed to resurface tenfold. The initial numbness was gone and was replaced by a dull ache, small sharp stabs accompanying each throb of her bloodflow. Her face scrunched up with pain as she tried to straighten, then doubled over. "Yea...no thanks to you and your friend..." She managed to bite out. 

Who knows, maybe being unresponsive was an offense to him in itself.

"I'm stuck here, a houseful of youkai, with wooden splinters stuck in my back, and it's barely even daylight. I think standing's the least of my troubles right now." Despite herself, her parched lips widened just this much, and she sighed almost rejectedly. 

There was a very long pause. Then, he looked away and crossed his arms in front of his chest. But his next sentence caught her completely by surprise. 

"Turn around and remove your shirt." 

She was shocked at first, sure that she had been hypnotised by some sneaky snake-demon again, and was right now under some sort of hearing spell. And then she looked up, greeting the scowling youkai with her first smile for the night. Lopsided and weary, albeit, but a real, honest-to-goodness smile. 

***

  
  
If the rustling whisper in his head was demanding for him to destroy this girl immediately, then he sure as hell was going to defy it. So he chose the next best thing which allowed him to do so. Just this once. Just to spite the _voice_. And then afterwards...His brows twitched and his lips peeled back in an unseen snarl, revealing delicately pointed fangs. _Just for now..._

He watched her pause, and then her lips parted, and he thought she was going to scream. But she did the unexpected. She gave him a smile. 

Suddenly, snatches of memories flashed through his brain. Floating visions, filled with humans - an old man with a toothless grin, a young boy, clothed in a strange outfit, a middle-aged woman in equally strange clothes, her arms wide open and wearing a gentle smile...

Then the scene changed and this time, there was a kitsune, a young cub...filled with boundless energy and youth. Then a demon...a hanyou, he could tell somehow. The hanyou's arms were folded and he was scowling and uttering soundless words. Then, he was standing proud and tall, his white hair gleaming in the moonlight, as if it was beams from the moon, a confident, almost protective smirk on his face. 

But that which overwhelmed Hiten, was warmth. A sea of warmth, like the afternoon sunshine. And there was an even stronger undercurrent, nameless and foreign to him, even in all his centuries of demonhood. It tingled in his mind and reverberated through his being, all the while flowing towards his heart...it was powerful, very powerful. 

And it was all too much for his mind. Breathing harshly, he sat down, shutting his eyes as he struggled to gain control of his own thoughts.

The damned girl...it was _she _who caused all these needless emotions through her very smile, and allowed him to read them all. 

He had yet to learn to wield his mind-gift, to control this ability of his. His Chichiue had told him that it would make him strong, enable him to sense what his enemy's weak points were, but first, he had to learn to grasp its very essence. Sometimes, he felt better off without his telepathic prowess. Especially when it allowed the Shikon no Tama to communicate with him, and at times like _this._

_***  
  
_

When he finally reopened his eyes, he saw that the girl had removed her shirt and was clutching it tightly to cover her front. She was knelt silently before him, her body held straight as the shaft of a spear. 

Slowly, he reached out with his gloved hand, to part the soft curling tendrils of black hair that draped down her back. 

She stiffened when his fingertips connected with her skin, but his caress was gentle, the faintest brush of a butterfly's wings. His thumb stroked her bare neck, applying pressure on points which he knew would help relax her muscles. Her skin was smooth to the touch, like the velvet curve of a young peach. 

For a moment, his gaze lingered over the graceful curve of her bent neck, a flickering of white and grey as shadows danced from the candlelight. He allowed his long fingers to circle her neck. It was slender, so thin and fragile. 

And with just a twist of his fingers, he would rupture it. 

He smiled slightly with the image that presented itself. This wench was lucky - she would live for now, just because he did not wish to act as a puppet of the _voice. _Masking the smile that he knew she could not see, he trailed his fingers downwards, to where her back had been punctured by wood. She shifted under his touch uneasily. 

"You make a fuss out of nothing wench," he commented absently, plucking a particularly large splinter that had lodged itself in between her shoulder blades. But he knew that her back would be slightly scarred for a few months, though he did not tell her so. A trickle of blood flowed from the wound, and he resisted the sudden urge to lap at it with his tongue. 

She made a frustrated noise and tried to turn around to protest, ignoring the sudden scream of pain on her backbone. "Nothing?! You try getting - "

"Keep still." 

Kagome halted at his sharp command, but was not keen to let it rest. "I would hardly call it a fuss out of nothing? Oh, I forgot, you're a _youkai_ - your people come tough as a nail, am I right?" 

He could tell from her voice that she was irked, more than just irked. This woman had guts, to talk to him in this manner. But he called it plain stupidity. He barked out a laugh. 

"Not as tough a nail as your head, wench. Though when the time comes, not even the armour of a dragon is going to protect you." His fingers paused in their administrations, letting his words sink into her thoughts. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

He leaned closer and grazed his bare chest aginst her back, lowering his voice till it was a grating whisper in her ear. "Tomorrow, if your beloved Inuyasha fails to hand me the shards..."

-end chapter 3-  


* * *

**Reviews Corner**

**[Xtreme Nuisance] - ***pats Xtreme Nuisance sympathetically on the head* pooey, hope u get well soon!! here's another chappie to cheer u up (eh...hopefully ^___^

**[Ms.Videl Son]** - Yayy good for u ^.^ i used to be closed up to inu/kag fics too, until i discovered some really wonderful inu/kag stories on ff.net!!

**[Quimberly]** - ah well, i dont think i'll be so shamelss as to hope for my fic to start a trend here lol, i just wanna BEEGGG all the writers out there to start writing somemore hi/kag fics cos i can only crank out dis much on my own lol =D

**[shikome kido mi]** - thank u!! hmm though the chapter on hiten might be brief, i actually have quite a good idea how he'll be like, thanks to takahashi sensei's marvellous story-telling skills ^____^ and hehe, i dont think its the fics (YAKUZA and DT) i think its just horny ol' me .

**[Dark Star]** - lol ur certainly sharp ^ ^ yea, well i s'pose i did get slightly carried away with the shippo part, but den again, he did feel very very guilty in the manga, so i just thought i would elaaborate on wat he was feeling.  
  
oo and about Kobu being a lesbian, well i'd prefer to say dat she's rather 'open' with her sexual preferences ^____^ (ie she likes both men and women) i was plannin on something veerry naughty for the three of them, but i decided against it in the end =D

**[misori-chan]** - u gave me a nice sweet review!! ohhh dont have to beg me, just a couple of sess/kag or hi/kag fics will do D !!

**[Landlady of the Universe]** - ahh let us drown in our own drool, in the presence of Hiten Sama, shall we lol. and 'prroommiiisseeesss' aren't mean to be broken *hovers about threateningly* ooh and yes, please do keep those pins going lol ok no i DONT hate kikyo ^___^

**[SimplyTurquoise]** - ahah! i've got plans for HIM

**[Me..]** - hmm i might make way for them, depends on the timeline of the story i suppose? i dont think my twitching the characters around prematurely seems a good idea to some ^___^;;

**[tikimoof]** - *chomp chomp* mmff i dont tfhink fho...*chomp crunch* i kinda likefh her o_____o

**[Moondevil001]** - thank you! well i just wanna explore more of this hottie in my fic ^__^ and nooo dont u think nauughty thoughts *waggles finger*

**[Iseult]** - oooo thank you! Kobu isn't really an OC stricktly speaking, i've just takent the liberty to develop her character, but thank you for the very accurate description of her current situation ^.^   
well hey, some 'bitches' r perfectly lovable, like those characters u've got in Tansho! they were the most amazingly life-like and theree dimensional characters i've seen, with such depth, moreso than some of the cannon characters here, i must say *winks*   
oh and hmm i dont think it'll be getting any more lemony, at least for the time being. grrrr...

**[Kira]** - naaww the pleasure's all mine =^.^=

**[Anne-twilight]** - don't worry, the story's far from over!! and yes, i do noe of another hi/kag fic, http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=840525 an ABSOLUTE must-read, and the fic that started my current obsession no less ^____^

**[Eden]** - aww shucks *swats at air in front and twirls hair* i have a thing for bad guys too, except for those creepy characters who have a tendancy of morphing into a large lump of lard and procreating from their bodies -_-;;; *whispers loudly: Psst! Naraku! u noe who i'm talking about!*

**[fragment]** - why is it dat ppl seem to get the impression i'm stopping hehe

**[demongoddess] **- ooo I LOVE U TOOOO even though i haven't actually met u yet ^____^ and hehe thanks for ur compliements  
^-^ ==there's my small face

**[rita d.]** - AACCCKK dododododo do so!!!!i would give u....three thumbs up!!

**[Super Sayian Bulma]** - lol u aren't serious are u? well maybe i jus might have manten develope a little crush on kag...would be cute no? ^___^

**[SatineSukuropio]** - no problem baby ^ ^ oh and thankx for suporting the pairing!

**[Tasha]** - nop i'm not! check out my fav. stories =D

**[Tigerchild] **- hey care to share wat ur confused about? sometimes i get too engrossed with my writing i forget all else =_= Woopsie!!

**[DeathAngelRn]** - oh! do let me noe when u've started on ur hi/kag fic!!! erk. and i'll work on my fic, no worries ^-^; *starts backing away slowly*

**[Archaic Tears]** - wooo thank u! i like twists alot myself. 0___o

**[nekomon]** - so u've been searching too! well jus to let u noe i've been wading in a pool of drool ever since i started writing about hiten lol. Kidding!! eewww...

**try to bear with me if my chapters tend to be on the short side. alot is actually happening withing a timespan of about a few hours, so i had to break them up into shorter chapters, else it would just go on and on .

i wasn't sure how well received the pairing would be, but thanks to all who've taken time to read and review my ficcie too!! its really great encouragment. love u all ^______^**


	4. Monster

**12.06.02**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reishou brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to devlop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

**Well its been quite awhile hasn't it ^.^ hopefully, this chapter's longer then the rest. adding in more details on the thoughts of the characters.**

* * *

**Reishou brothers - **The lightning-beast brothers

**Youkai - **Demon

**Hentai - **Pervert

**Kowaii **- Scary

**Futon - **Thick mattress or bed laid on the ground for sleeping 

**Chichiue - **The revered term for 'father'.

**Inu-youkai - **Dog demon

* * *

**Distant Thunder   
**By: cacat-angel

**chapter 4: **Monster

Inuyasha. 

He was all that she dared to fill her thoughts with. He was all that kept her fears at bay, and kept the the horrible thoughts outside her her mental boundaries. Inuyasha would save her, wouldn't he? He had always done so, though he had been painfully open with his reluctance, rude and gruff and often erupting into a tantrum when things didn't go his way. But somehow, she found herself trusting him, wanting to trust him. Was it the intuition of a woman, or was it just foolishness on her part? 

Kagome wasn't clear, all she knew was of the alliance formed between her and a hanyou, and all she felt was the undeniable sense of security. 

Her back hurt still, but the pain had lessened to a mild heated sensation, much like that of a sunburn, so she lay on her side instead, cushioned by the thick, dark cloth beneath her. There was probably yards and yards of the exotic material, course and yet at the same time surprisingly soft. It spread throughout the entire room, dark in some corners which could not be reached by the flickering candles placed all around the room. The light from the candle had a strange blue flame, probably some magical kind of demon-fire. Pale, sheer wisps of cloth hanged from the low ceiling, billowing and rippling like ghostly apparitions. The room itself wasn't a typical tatami room, but it stretched wide and far and dark, enormous by the feudal Japan standards. 

And it reeked of a malignantly dark, demonic aura. 

Though her hope-filled thoughts on Inuyasha saving her did lighten some of her apprehensions, she couldn't help but feel the cold washes of dread and terror all over her sensitive skin. She felt even worse then before, when Kobu had tried to make a move on her. And she considered it close to a miracle, that she was actually alive and lying amongst luxurious bales of cloth. 

Afterall, there was a cold-blooded, savage beast of a youkai slumbering right in front of her. 

If she had her own way at all, she would have probably been cowering right at the furthest end of the room, plotting for her escape fervidly Not that she had any real hopes of success. But for some warped, unknown reason of his own, the thunder-youkai had ordered for her to lie beside him while he slept. Considerably strange, because he could not possibly be a heavy sleeper. Inuyasha himself had been able to sense her departure miles away. 

So there she lay, stiff and guarded, the scratchy cloth wrapped tightly around her and pulled up to her nose. And why was she lying face to face with this youkai? Well, because it was unwise to turn your back on youkai as dangerous and unpredictable as this one, and dying in her sleep, without so much as putting up a struggle, was the last thing she would do. And, because he actually looked quite...

Sexy? 

Eyes widening, she blushed and buried her face within the rough sheets. She felt the tiny, sharpened thumping within her chest. What did she just think? The horror of it! How could she even feel about this monster in such a way? 

And yet...she hesitated suddenly in her silent admonishments, and paused to think. Was he really such a monster? Furtively, she peeked out from the violet cloth, letting only the top of her head and her eyes and nose show. 

The candlelight flickered upon his face, merely inches away. It lit up in a strange blue glow that flickered and danced upon his high forehead, accentuating the profile of his broad cheekbones and long, aristocratic nose. His deep-set eyes were shut, eyes which she knew glowed a fearsome red when angry. Brows thick and dark, curved in an elegant arch of a frown even in his sleep. And even from this distance, she could make out the impossibly long, soot black lashes that rested against his face.

She had thought he'd killed his mate, the snake-youkai, out of cold blood just hours ago. But somehow, the snake-youkai survived it, without even a scar from the attack. Now, Kagome couldn't help but wonder if Hiten didn't know about his mate's rejuvenation talent, or whatever reason that caused her to come back to life. Surely he did. So did that make him guilty as she had initially thought? 

And what about when he had saved her, not once, but twice from Kobu? He could have striked her, when she dared throw herself against him, knocking him away from the snake-youkai to save her. But he didn't. Even when he had pulled her through the door, injuring her back in the process, he had made up for it later by offering to treat her wounds. 

Was he really as bad as she had thought? She looked up at his face almost in wonder, and suddenly found that his burning amber gaze was on her. With a soft shriek, she pulled the sheets tightly over her head, and wrapped herself up with it, suddenly feeling naked and vulnerable and very endangered, all good thoughts of him momentarily forgotten. A low, throaty chuckling entered her ear.

***

  
  
He had been observing her, his fine senses tuned to her every action even as he rested his mind and body. She was thinking about how her hero was going to save her from him, doubtless. For a split second, the image the youkai had extracted from her thoughts, flashed once again before him. It was that of the hanyou, white-haired and sporting a pathetic excuse of a sword at his side. And two pointed ears atop his head. An inu-youkai, probably the Inuyasha she spoke of, who was crazed over her. Not that it mattered if he didn't. He would just slaughter the bastard hanyou like the filth that he is, make-off with the blasted jewel, and then rid the girl. 

No, wait. That would be Manten's duty.

Smirking, he turned his head around and focused on the girl beside him, taking in the sudden increase of her heartbeat. 

"Thinking about your boyfriend?" He stated with a crooked grin, revealing sharp points customary of all human-like youkai. The human wench did nothing to answer, but buried herself further into the abundance of cloth. So she feared him. Just as well. 

"I'm not," was her muffled reply finally. "And even if I am, its none of your damned business." 

"You are brave, woman. But did I not make myself clear that I will not tolerate any of your insolence?" He remarked lightly, propping himself on one elbow and eyeing the trembling bundle right next to him. He suddenly did not feel the need for anymore sleep. Silently, he reached out a clawed finger towards the bundle.

"I am not being insolent," she huffed from within her protective layer. "I am merely tired. Being chased, kidnapped, threatened and knocked about by two, no _three_ demons isn't exactly a walk in the park, you know." 

Something flashed inside Hiten's dark red eyes. 

"Is that so? Then why do you not close your eyes to rest?" The finger hovered dangerously over Kagome's covering. "Or are you afraid that this youkai," - with a sudden movement, he ripped the cloth from Kagome's viciously and revealed the stunned girl who was curled up inside - "is going to finish you off as you sleep?!" 

***  
  
  


_She mocks you! _The voice crowed in his head crowed triumphantly, even as he fought desperately to suppress it.

"- Is going to finish you off as you sleep?" He bit out, grasping the miserable piece of cloth and flinging it away from her. 

_Destroy her! Destroy her at once! You do not need her to retrieve the shards, surely you are not as feeble as that! I did not expect the powerful and mighty thunder-youkai to require the assistance of a mere human brat! _It chanted endlessly within his head, an endless drone which rang and reverberated within his head and only got louder and louder until it was a rush of swirling words, intensifying until it was as if a giant youkai was gripping him by the skull with its powerful fist and squeezing mercilessly. 

"Yeeaarggh!" With an enraged roar of despair and anger, he leapt into the air and landed directly over the girl. His senses were retreating rapidly, until all that was left was the taunting cries of that alien voice within his head. 

_Kill her! Rip her heart out and eat it! _

_Destroy her, like you have done with the countless human trash from before! _

_She is nothing but vermin, and prey for Youkai! _

_***  
  
  
_

With a ferocious roar, he pounced from where he lay, and landed, crouched on all fours over her body like a wild animal - enraged, furious and snarling. Before, his angered cry and that crazed, homicidal expression on his face would have scared her silly from a distance. Now, this close, it petrified her beyond thought. 

Kagome froze instantly, her two hands curled up before her where they had held up thick sheets just seconds ago, head flattened stiffly against the ground and hair spread wildly beneath her. She had seen this once, when he had flared up upon realizing Manten's mistake - letting the Shikon No Tama slip his mind because of her. Yet it was nowhere near as terrifying as it was now. 

And now, she was caged within his four limbs, motionless. 

Foreheads and noses almost touching, she could only stare with round, fearful eyes as she felt his searing hot breath puff relentlessly upon her face. Her heart raced furiously beneath her chest, and her legs would have given way had she been standing. It was all she could do to look him directly in those unearthly red eyes that glowed madly. Eyes which once held an uncannily intelligent glimmer, but were now merely animalistic, ruby-red orbs, void of anything but an insane, feral rage. She held her breath, almost certain that any moment now, he would tear a hole in her throat with those long fangs of his. 

So she never knew where the courage came from, surprising even herself fairly. As if it were coated with a layer of lead, her right arm lifted in creaking motions, then edged gingerly in between their bodies, finally laying itself on his bare chest. 

She didn't know if it was a comforting thought or not, when she realized that his heart was beating just as quickly as hers.

"I meant you no harm. Please..." she whispered almost pleadingly, looking directly into his eyes, willing herself to face them directly and withholding the violent urge to flinch away. Unconsciously, she was willing part of her own humanity into those bestial eyes of his. She didn't know what gave her the tiny bit of hope. It was purely instinctive on her own part. 

"Don't be like this...you won't harm me, I'll help you get the shards back. I know you want them, and I can help you. You saved me twice already, please don't do this to me now..."

She was rambling, she realized. But rambling in a low, soothing voice, the words coming out from nowhere in particular. She wasn't as foolish to believe that her words actually would calm him down, and yet somehow, they did.

Slowly, the words died down to a soft whisper on her mouth as she watched on with slight wonder. The maniacal leer on his face seemed to soften, the red glow in his eyes dwindling down to a dark ember. What was happening? She didn't know, all she knew was that somehow, by some twist of fate, her words actually seemed to be taking an effect on him. Was it some undiscovered miko power of hers?

But one thing was for sure. She had just saved her own life, barely.  


***  
  
  


The _voice_ seemed to be retreating once again, except this time, it was due to an external force. He heard another call, soft and musical and gentle, like the rustling of the wind as it wound its way through a bamboo grove. It seemed to be drowning the annoying voice, pushing back the awful hold the giant demon had on his head, slowly, but steadily. 

It was driving away the pain, and he didn't want the _voice_ to stop. 

The words were incoherent, a gentle caress which stroked him lightly, over and over again, easing the mental strain that the _voice_ had on him. Gradually, the thick, bunched up muscles on his back relaxed and his head drooped over limply. He collapsed onto his forearms panting, trying desperately to shake off the numbness in his mind. 

Then as he regained his own awareness slowly, he seemed to realize that the human girl was beneath him. She was trembling and almost crushed by his own body weight, the scent of fear radiating strongly from her entire being. But he could feel it dwindling now, just as the immense pressure within him mind was receding.

Now that rationality was returned to him, it suddenly occurred to him if she had been the one calling out to him, reaching for him and pulling him back from the horrible _voice._ Breath ragged, he lifted his gaze and looked back into her eyes. It was still focused on him, clear blue pools that were widened with fright, and...something else. 

A human emotion, one that a youkai like him had never encountered before. 

But he was exhausted now and filled with sudden fatigue, and he couldn't care less. Burying his head within the human's soft neck, he stretched his long limbs out behind him and shut his eyes slowly, falling into a dark, fitful slumber.   
  
  


-end chapter 4-

* * *

**Reviews Corner**

**[Tyfani-chan] -** thank you for your reviews! appreciate them very muchly ^________^

**[Cin of an Angel]** - teehee i wanted to name this 'to tame a savage beast' really, but well its a little too cliched for my liking . and yep definitely shippo!! oooooo he's so utterly cute, i dont believe anyone would dislike him!!

**[Archaic Tears]** - aah. my speciality, dark fics. sort of ^.^ 

**[Mandaleigh]** - *giggles with delight* thankies!! and yes he's SO sexy...sigh.....lucky kagome.......................

**[Ms.Videl Son] **- did i get it wrong? *scratches head like the idiot i am* thank you!! i'm real glad u feel that way...phew! its reli wat i've been striving for ya noe?

**[frenzied pansy] **- yaa u got it! pays to read carefully to my fic huh ^___^ yup, hiten is telepathic, an ability i 'chose' to grant to him =D

**[Akane_Girl13 ]** - heii thanx!!

**[Zombie]** - oops sorry i took quite awhile to get this one out . 

**[Enchanted Angel]** - lol thank you. u find them ooc? sobz i'll try my best to make them in character next time...

**[Anne-twilight]** - bah!u've got GREAT ideas yourself!!!! as forthat _voice,_ well, i let's just say i've already given clues =D

**[Me.. ]** - she isn't dead, she just escaped with her life ^__^

**[lynnxlady]** - lol thanxx! and don't worry, i'm not that big a lemon fan, i just add some inside for the story and character developement, and not purely for the sake of a lemon (tho it would still be rather yummy, i must admit.)

**[rita d. ]** - counting my toe thumb i do ^____^ 

**[Alyson Metallium]** - yaaaa glad dat u see wat a terrific couple dey make gagagagga

**[misori-chan]** - hehehhe dat was a CUTE review lol ^ . ^...............oh c'mon!! 

**[blank]** - eep. blame it on ffn's confusing functions *quickly points finger elsewhere* lol joking. i'm kinda uh..a muddled up person =P hands up those who find me a ditz lol.

**[DeathAngelRn]** - waaaiii i checked but no fic on the 29th *pouts* lemme noe when u do get one out pretty pleaaassee ^_^ and hmm inuyasha...well u'll have to read on, just bear with me for awhile =D

**[Lady BlackDragonFire]** - thank you! and i dont 'like' hiten, i LOVE him! he's fiery, unpredictable, charismatic, smart, cute and he's a HUNK to boot o________0 yaaayyy!!

**[Anjel bluez ]** - sorry dood, i'm actually sorta planning for her to be one of the mains . but no worries, she's only there to add to the conflict.

**[sunny1388] **- well this isn't the first!! check out my fav. list under my profile for the other two ^____^ hanyou huh? i gotcha!!

**[nekomon]** - ooooo if u lose ur compusure writing this, u can just imagine *me* writing a whole fic about Hiten lol.

**a big thank you to the rest of you wonderful reviewers!!! i love you all ^___^  
ok, question! when should i be capitalizing the terms, for instance 'inu-youkai' and 'snake-youkai' and such?**


	5. Thereafter

**01.01.03**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reijuu brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to devlop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

**Happy new year and a merry christmas folks!!

- Alritey. first up. there are aLOT of inconsistencies in here. please forgive me sobz. being a semi-au, i added in some extra 'details' of my own into the original plot.   
  
- oh and my apologies. its 'REIJUU' not 'reishou, as i have been misspelling for the past few chapters. ::bows head in shame::**  
  


* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Some of you might have complaints about kagome being too 'weak' and 'spineless', for Distant Thunder. i would like to clarify at this point, that the 'Kagome' i'm portraying is strictly taken out of context of the manga. as much as i understand the need to insert desirable traits such as fighting skills and a generous dose of spunk and guts, i intend to stay true to her original character, and this is how i interprete it - 

1. she certainly does NOT swear

2. she is kind and soft hearted almost to a fault especially to 'cute' things like any other girl. 

3. she is apt to flee on sight of enemies and only if her life of the life of any others dear to her is in mortal harm, will she take action. of course, the degree of bravery increases gradually throughout their journies, but not at this point in the story.

4. to her, being brave isn't just about colliding head on with the enemy. its also about timing and strategy. dont misunderstand her passiveness for cowardism. she is merely waiting for the right time to strike, when her enemy is the weakest. 

5. but on contrary to point 4., she will act on impulse at times when she sees fit.

6. she is a very tolerant person and she doesn't blow up easily. and when her cover is blown, she does not throw a fit and get angry, but tries to laugh it off. 

7. she appears a ditz most of the time, but only because she tries to avoid confrontation. however, when a sore spot of hers is provoked, she WILL get angry. 

8. she is a conservative girl by modern standards, and even for a 15 year old, the concept of actually having a bf or a mate is fairly new and embarrasing to her. (even though she does daydream about it)

9. and most importantly, she doesn't have temper tantrums, and she is rarely sarcastic (except when provoked)

and so on. my point is this. staying in character is very important, but i will not add things about kagome which i do not believe actually fit her portrayal in the manga. so please, dont ask me to portray her as a catty, spiteful, hot tempered bitch.  
BUT if u believe that i'm wrong however, you are always free to let me noe, with supporting evidence from the manga. I'm always open to constructive, unbiased suggestions ^______^ thank you for reading this =) **

* * *

**Reijuu brothers - **The lightning-beast brothers

**Youkai - **Demon

**Hentai - **Pervert

**Kowaii **- Scary

**Futon - **Thick mattress or bed laid on the ground for sleeping 

**Chichiue - **The revered term for 'father'

**Raigekijin** - Hiten's Lightning Strike Blade. 

**An-chan** - informal for elder brother

* * *

**Distant Thunder   
**By: cacat-angel

**chapter 5: **Thereafter  
  
  
  


Kagome's tight cry of terror was muffled by the head of thick black hair, suddenly thrust against her face. The youkai, Hiten's. She felt the brush of his face against her neck and for a frantic moment, she wondered if vampires existed in feudal Japan. Instinctively, she struggled to free herself, hands desperate to claw at him, push him off, anything to escape. But she was trapped. Both her arms were pinned down.

Then, she realised that he was still. The horrible moment she had been bracing herself for, where yellowed canine teeth dug themselves into her flesh to draw the precious liquid within, didn't come. And there he lay, unmoving above her, save for the slight heaving of his torso as he took in air - or whatever his kind inhaled.

A dull thud was starting to pound at the base of her head, from collision or sheer weariness she didn't know. The warnings of a rather bad headache. But for the an uncountless amount of time since she had started her quest for the Shikon Jewel, Kagome was thankful that at least she still had a _head, _what with all the bloodthirsty youkai she encountered. 

She let out a whoosh of air and resigned to her horizontal position on the floor, choosing to wriggle her body to a more comfortable position instead - half wedged under Hiten, with her arms caught between both their chests. The youkai was _heavy. _Heavier than she had expected, what with his rather androgynous countenance. He was of a much bulkier build, taller in height than even Inuyasha. That much she now noticed.

And he was...strange. Weird. 

There was something seriously wrong, either with her knowledge of him prior to this night, or with the youkai himself. 

When Shippou had told her about the Thunder brothers, she had painted in her mind, a gory, blood-filled image of two malicious grinning youkai on a killing rampage, striking down with mad laughter whoever stood in their way. And when she had finally had the - dare she say it - pleasure, of meeting them, they had proven her right. At least, Manten had so far, and so had Hiten, all until now.

Until he had saved her life, intentional or not, at least twice in a row. And until she had somehow managed to lull him...to sleep?

To say she was petrified would be close to an understatement. After all, what else could you be when a full-blooded demon capable of killing you and more - was literally lying on top of you? But there was something that wasn't inplace somehow...something that didn't quite fit as well as it should have been, when it came to the line between youkai and human, the predator and the prey. 

"Nngh..."

Kagome's train of thoughts were cut off by the low grunt on top of her. He shifted a little and to her delight, it allowed her to free her right arm with a soft tug. 

_Starting to cramp..._She flexed her stiff joints, working the kink out of them. Strange. Yea...she remembered his erratic behavior moments ago. Despite its ferocity, she could sense an inner battle going on within him, a strange flicker whenever she managed a glimpse into his wild, crimson eyes. A quiet flicker in the burning depths which seemed to plead to her for help. It was something she couldn't ignore. Something...desperate...

Before she could catch herself, her free hand had made its way towards the limp head that lay nestled against her neck. With trembling fingertips, she touched the glimmering strands of black hair, stroking the top of his head with an almost motherly gentleness. Why? Why did he suddenly seem so vulnerable to her? It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was a monster, a plundering, murderous, power-hungry beast who didn't give a hoot about humanity, or even life itself. He wasn't supposed to spare her life, and not in the very least, stir pity inside her.

Was she really wrong about this youkai after all?

Her sensitive touch took in the surprisingly silk-like quality of his hair. Almost like ink, she realised. Fine, smooth ink, flowing downwards to gather in a pool around them. 

Those were her final thoughts, before sleep drugged her and exhaust took over as well. 

***

"...her for hair? Oh you are such a ridiculously _childish_ youkai! I have no idea for the life of me why he would have a brother such as you."

"Urk...will someone turn off the damned television?" Kagome muttered irritatably. That awful racket was unbearable. "Souta...mama!" 

"Ah! Even you don't believe me. See? That is exactly why I need more fuckin' _hair._" 

"Hng. As if I care. What I still can't figure out is...why your hair-tonic appears to be posing an attraction to _my_ Hiten...ooh you thief! Give that back to me!"

"Mmf...a tray of delicious food for me?"

"For you? If the graves of the Taiyoukai would turn over first! I prepared it especially for Hite - come back here! Eee! You walking piece of lard! You fat balding lizar-" Thud thud thud. The voices died down as a certain youkai chased another who had just made away with his brother's meal.

Suddenly, the Sunday morning TV program didn't seem quite so Sunday morning-ish anymore. 

Kami...my head hurts. Daylight already? Kagome roused from the fuzziness of sleep, only to find herself clutching tightly to a weight in front of her chest. Her fingers were caught. She swiped at her eyes, taking a few moments to adjust to the scarcity of light in the room. From where her head was turned, she could make out pale, butter-yellow beams of light that shone in through the cracks in the wall, muted by the dust motes that flitted by. 

Her attention turned again to her hand. Puzzled, she lifted it against the light. Fine black strands wove around her fingers, impossibly long and entangled around her fingers. Then she looked down to the weight she held in front of her. A head...Hiten's head, against her chest..

He stirred this time, and blood red eyes emerged from under the cloud of silken hair and blinked at her lazily. ""What the fuck woman, are you doing." 

Kagome blinked back, and screamed. "Aaaaiiiiiiiiiii!!" 

Thump! Hiten was up in a second, having been pushed rudely from her soft embrace and onto the cloth-covered floor.

"And what the fuck was that for?!" He roared. The next thing she knew, he was kneeling astride her, a fist clutched tightly around her mane of hair. His eyes flamed madly, thick brows knitted closely together as his fangs bared themselves. 

_He's definitely not a morning person..._Kagome swallowed audibly, trying her best to maintain her cool. "Uh...sorry about that. But do you think you could get off of me now?" She gave a tiny smile, averting her eyes from his. It was a miserable attempt to pacify him, she admitted, but it was _still_ an attempt. 

And it certainly didn't stop him from noticing the warm tinge that was creeping across her face. 

With an impatient snort, he stood and swung his legs across her, as if she were just a futon that he laid on for the night. Her facial expressions switched between embarrassment and indignation, unable to decide which to settle on, but she said nothing. 

"Get yourself ready woman. At noon we depart." 

***  
  
  


"Hiten, oh Hiten," Kobu sighed gustily, slinking a pale arm across his broad shoulders from behind. "That Inuyasha will be crushed by you like the miserable pea that he is."

It was a needless compliment - he knew that for sure. But it didn't stop Hiten from giving an arrogant, prewar victory smirk. Things like these came along easily enough for him, even without the help of the blasted shard that had embedded itself into his forehead - kuso. The sudden thought caused the three shards to throb suddenly, as if they read his thoughts. As if they felt the need to remind him otherwise. 

_Yes, yes pretty youkai...you owe all your victories to us. The Shikon no Tama shards. Don't even think otherwise._

Hiten hissed, elbowing Kobu sharply away from him. A scowl gracing his handsome face, he pressed his lightning stave harder against the grind, letting the satisfying grate of steel against granite drown out the chanting of the jewel. 

"Woah, easy on the there, An-chan," Manten observed from his corner of the armory, where he sat cross legged upon the musty, straw covered floor. His palm was flat against his dome head as he stroked his the few strings of hair absently. "Them sparks are quick to fly from that staff of yours." 

"Yes. I don't see the need for such precaution anyway, Hiten." Kobu tossed her hair across her bare shoulders as she lay herself down on the floor, supporting her head with a dainty hand. 

Hiten flipped his spear around with a swift flick of his wrist and leaned away back from the grind. He inspected the blade closely and traced the intricate swirls slowly with a finger. "Precaution is the way of the warrior, Kobu. Females like you do not need to know so much." 

"Females like me?!"

"Females like her? By the seven hells, An-chan, you must be outta your mind. That snake bitch 'ere is far from a - "

"Shut up, Manten." Kobu snapped, daring the stout youkai with a hiss from her throat. Then, the fierce light in her eyes softened as she slid upright into a kneeling position, lowering her head demurely before Hiten. "Very well then. May you be blessed by the strength of your ancestors, my precious warrior." 

"Need you say more, bitch? My An-chan ain't no fool weakling. He's the best the thunder-youkai tribe has got. Or had..." For no apparent reason, Manten's usually deep and rumbling voice trailed off at the end. 

"Hnn." Was all Hiten replied. 

***  
  
  


"We're arriving soon," Shippou breathed to himself, his expression tensed and feverish as he bounced jauntily on Inuyasha's shoulder. He was fighting hard to keep his eyes open even though the shrilling wind whipped in his face. It stung badly but he was determined determination not to lose sight of the scene ahead. In a distance, the sky was growing darker. Grey mottled clouds which rumbled with thunder filled the background behind the steep, treacherous mountain. 

"What's the matter, Shippou? Why do you sound so weak and feeble now, eh?" Inuyasha grinned widely, never losing his concentration as he covered the ground with rapid speed and dexterity. "If you're afraid, you can always leave now."

***  
  
  


GASHA!!

The huge crash of electricity scorched the ground with a terrifying jolt, just where Inuyasha and Shippou should have been. The hanyou cursed as he sailed through the air, darting an inhumanely quick eye towards the kitsune's small form as it was flung aside violently together with him. 

"Hn. Nice try." 

The pair crouched on side by side as they steadied themselves, their youkai senses quick to tune in to a large powerful wave of youki even as they spun around to face the attacker. 

A dark silhouette hovered above them threateningly, large amber eyes set within the dark outlines glowing wildly. "You are the hanyou bastard they call Inuyasha?" 

It was Myouga the flea who spoke up in a fervoured squeak. "Inuyasha-sama! He is the elder of the thunder-youkai brothers, Hiten!"

Shippou inhaled sharply, his little heart pounding furiously with fear and adrenaline. And anger. Using tiny, sharp kitsune claws, he scuttled as fast as he could up Inuyasha's kimono to gain higher grounds, clinging tightly onto the hanyou's white mane and those ridiculous dog ears. He never noticed in his state of panic, that the normally igneous nature of Inuyasha's was stoic for once. "Oi! What did you do to Kagome?!" The kitsune cub yelled agitatedly to the air in his clear, childish tone. 

"Hn! Don't worry," Hiten called out from above. He drew his brows together, his rakish smile plastered menacingly on his face. He balanced casually on the air above his fire wheels with feet wide apart, mighty spear gripped tightly in one hand and stance proud and straight. "I haven't even eaten a single finger of hers yet. Manten!" 

"I come!" 

Behind Hiten, a dark cloud appeared, massive and writhing, almost like a giant grey organ as it wriggled in the air beside Hiten. A large pale dome-head peered from within the safety of the cloud, long lizard eyes evil and calculating.

"Inuyasha!"

A high, female voice, so familiar...the hanyou balked and took a large step forward. A curious mixture of relief, anxiety, terror and joy flickered across his face for the briefest of moments, even as the situation sank upon him like a capsized ship. "Kagome?!" Hu. She's still alive...

***  
  
  


A thousand thoughts ran through Kagome's head as she watched the battle. Crouched behind her small rock with Shippou, the blazing twin figures of supernatural strength and speed clashed - Inuyasha, with his Tetsusaiga scabbard, against Hiten's Raigekijin. But even as she watched, it was obvious that the odds were against Inuyasha. Raigekijin was powerful, crackling with blinding bolts of electricity as it striked mercilessly and - 

"The scabbard's cracking!" Myouga piped up from beside Kagome suddenly. And it was true. The deafening roar and crackle of the Raigekijin rang through her ears, cries of victory and wicked triumph. 

_He couldn't be...Hiten couldn't do that to Inuyasha! He isn't as bad as he seems...But...he is a youkai. He is evil...and Manten! Inuyasha killed his brother Manten - _

"This is the end you fucking bastard!!"

"Kagome this is very bad! The scabbard cannot hold much longer. No matter how powerful Inuyasha-sama is - " Myouga cried out beside her. 

There wasn't enough time to contemplate further - a second's delay could cost Inuyasha's life. Kagome glanced around quickly, picking up the faint gleam of metal in a distance. The Tetsusaiga...there it was, right by Manten's corpse! If she could just get it to Inuyasha in time...

***  
  
  


The fox! From his peripheral view, Hiten spotted the tiny youkai scampering towards the hanyou's sword. The little brat's intentions were painfully obvious - to snatch the sword back for Inuyasha. 

And close behind him, followed...her. The woman. 

He felt his throat constrict during that briefest space of time he allowed himself. But the death of Manten was burning inside his heart, a ceaseless sea of torment that ripped at his soul and allowed him no peace, until his brother was avenged. And so he did the only possible thing he could think of. Channeling the warm surge of internal ki within him, he stored it till it was a great swell within his chest - and unleashed it from his mouth towards the woman and the cub.

"Kagome!! Nooo!" 

***  
  
  


Epilogue  
  
  
  


As Kagome wheeled the bicycle in silence, trailing behind Inuyasha, she couldn't help recall snippets of the fresh memories from the night before, the night she had shared with Hiten in his den. The terse fear she had felt had slowly given way to a sort of understanding. She knew what she had seen in his eyes that night was but a mere opening. 

And then, it didn't matter anymore. Hiten was now gone...forever. 

She swallowed, refusing to allow the dampness in her eyes to be released. There was a thick lump in her throat. _It_ was inevitable during their journey. She knew that it was a fact she had to learn to accept. It wasn't a choice of your own to be made had in this dangerous era. In a world filled with youkai and supernatural creatures, life and death was a natural, if forced way of life. Of course. She knew it perfectly well, she had to know it.

But then...

What if youkai weren't as evil as humans made them out to be, or as they made themselves out to be? What if youkai had souls? And what if, you had a chance to glimpse beneath the surface of those cold eyes of theirs, and see for a fleeting moment, what they could have been, in another life, had they been human? 

Sighing, Kagome rolled the delicate crystal bottle that held the shikon shards - opalescent shards which she had picked from amongst Hiten's scattered remains of armor. A slight breeze ruffled her wavy black hair, and she gazed up into the pastel blue sky. Puffy clouds floated merrily past, urged on by the light northern wind. 

Ahead of her, not so far away, Inuyasha's angry bellow resounded through the clear air as Shippou's mocking laughter and pitiful cries of agony reached her ears. 

Perhaps, some things were not meant to be, and others, predestined.At least now, she had peace, and she had her companions. 

Even if she knew that the tiny cramping and regret in her chest wouldn't disappear so soon...

-The End- 

* * *

**Reviews Corner**

**[Tigerchild] **- oops eh sorry =P

**[Jinx]** - why thank you ^___^ i'm glad you gave the coupling a chance =D

**[tikimoof]** - right. appreciate the advice very muchly!!

**[avihenda] **- gah its not killing me..its just sucking my soul out slowly :~~

**[Ms.Videl Son]** - waaah thank you...but i think i'm taking pretty long this time too . glad you liked the details =) i dont think i'm that good, but i'm sure you can do it!!!

**[Anne-twilight]** - lol hope i'm not making him TOo sweet....that would defeat his whole character already. ahh yakuza =_= tough nut to crack, that one's getting.

**[catleya] **- ^_________^ yup.

**[Lady BlackDragonFire]** - no prob dood. tho i haven't reli got time, i try to reply as best as i can ^ ^ and evil guys r SIZZLINNNGG...

**[Enchanted Angel] **- phew! u almost got me there ~_^ that's really important to an author, to get the audience feeling...thank you!

**[Mandaleigh] **- nodnod righty-o!! helps a whole lot! *hugz*

**[misori-chan] **- lmao GAWD if i had a brother like that, i would kick his wimpy lil ass!! lol jus kiddin. 

**[gamegirl28] **- naw i'm honoured =D

**[kaoru-chan ] **- glad u agree too ^.^ hmm was that waffy enough for ya?? -_-;;;

**[Charms]** - ah well. she is a girl afterall, she's got her 'wants' lol.

**[lynnxlady] **- babe, thank YOU for giving me some of the most *awesome* reviews!! *feels self floating into the air* lol well i must admit, they really keep me going and everytime i feel like giving up, i come n' read those lovely reviews of yours and everyone elses and my spirit perks up ^___________^ 

**[keika] **- wow heheh that's new, i'm flattered =)

**[Iseult]** - yaai thanx for clearing that up! helped alot =D but i'm not that faithful at the mo .  
humm woah and thanx for the insightful feedback too ^____^ any critiques tho? you've got a wonderfully creative and colourful style of writing and i feel i've got loads to learn from u!

**[Landlady of the Universe] **- hey no problemz dood. its good enough that you're taking the time to leave me comments =D

**[shikome kido mi]** - wahahhahh funny ^.^ *alllll hail almighty shikome kido miiii*...........well she's not sleeping there cos hiten's sorta like his uh...gamekeeper?? -____-;;

and as usual, i love all you people who've been supporting me and reading my stories. thank you all so much!!


	6. Chance encounter

...of **part I**.

mou mou! you peeps weren't really expecting me to end it there did you?! *places hand over heart* i'im so hurt...i've even got the story developement planned and laid out already, and you doubted me *sniff*! lol. but then i'll continue being the nice person that i am, and post this chapter _now_, instead of making u guys wait ^___^ 

i'm just kidding ya noe.   


**04.01.03**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she woud have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reishou brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to devlop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^  


**to clear some things up from the previous chapter - the short flashes of the battle scene (extracted from book 4 of Inuyasha) was an intended style, so that it wouldn't seem draggy to those who already knew what was happening, and fill in those who didn't.   
well...i guess i'm just not good enough a writer if they come across as hurried and rushed *sighs*............

Well i admit this chapter's kinda cliched, what with the infamous hotspring scene n all, but i swear, i'll come up with something more original next time round . **

* * *

**Reijuu brothers - **The lightning-beast brothers

**Youkai - **Demon

**Hentai - **Pervert

**Kowaii **- Scary

**Futon - **Thick mattress or bed laid on the ground for sleeping 

**Chichiue - **The revered term for 'father'.

* * *

**Distant Thunder   
(PART II)  
**By: cacat-angel  


**chapter 6: **chance encounter

Eyes swivelling around to survey her surroundings suspiciously, Kagome stripped hurriedly and stepped into the steam covered hot-spring.   
  
"Ahh..." she finally gave a contented sigh of relief as she slid down slowly into the clear water, her back leaning against a moist rock. She could feel her tensed muscles relax almost instantaneously--hot-springs always had that kind of effect on her. The soft lapping of water against her, the warm steam wafting around upper body, causing beads of moisture to appear on the surface of her smooth skin. Around her was a tranquil silence. All was quiet except for cicadas in the distant and the rustling of the bamboo plants which enclosed the hot-spring.   
  
Closing her eyes, she could almost imagine herself back at home in Tokyo enjoying a hot soak in the tub after school, or a quick trip to the local bath-house downtown. All the anxieties, demon chasing, shard hunting, even a certain pesky dog-demon seemed to disappear as she immersed herself. None of them ever understood her love for hot-spring baths. Keeping clean was one of them, but she had always loved water because of its purifying and soothing qualities.   
  
Satisfied, she turned around to reach for the shampoo bottle she had placed on the rock behind her. Just as she grasped the smooth plastic bottle in her hands, she saw something emerge from the surface of the water. She held her breath and peeked through a crack between the large rocks, curiosity getting the better of her. And had her heart almost stop. 

It was Hiten.

Hiten.

Hiten. 

"But...how?" She wondered to herself, in partial awe and shock. He...came back? So inuyasha didn't kill him after all?!

Suddenly, she recalled the single night they had spent together, many, many months ago. Just when she had convinced herself that he was another foe of theirs, just another youkai who coveted the Shikon no Tama. Another homocidal maniac. But then, something had happened, which seemed to change her opinion just ever so slightly. 

Her initial reaction was to run for her life screaming bloody murder - if this was indeed Hiten, he would be out for revenge. And if he were out for revenge...it was not something Kagome wished to deal with alone at this moment.

But somehow, she couldn't do it. Something about the way Hiten's long, black locks dripping with water hung down his rippling muscular back. The way he smoothed his hair behind his head away from his face, the way his gleaming body glistened in the soft afternoon sun._ God,_ she thought to herself as she became aware of the increasing heat on her face. _I'm just as bad as Miroku..._then suddenly, it hit her full force. What on earth was she doing sticking around _ulp _watching?? _Damn my miroku-ness_ she cursed to herself, sucking the air sharply through her teeth. 

But now she was in a dilemma. She had stayed perfectly still before, and with the loud swishing of water in the background coupled with the natural musky scent of the spring and the bamboo plants around, Hiten probably couldn't detect her. But if she were to make a dash for land, he would have killed her even quicker than Inuyasha could say 'FEH'! So after much careful consideration and planning, (which, frankly, didn't make much of a difference, she thought wryly to herself) she decided to swim, as silently as she could underwater, towards the edge of the spring. 

Inhaling and exhaling to calm her prancing heart, she turned around as slowly as she could. And she could have sworn her heart stopped beating for two seconds when she caught sight of that pale muscular stomach that appeared before her. This time of course, not because of her... _ehh-hmm, _condition. But it probably wasn't the stomach, she thought almost nonchanlently. It was those rather scary black claws gripping and ungripping _beside_ the stomach...

She didn't even _dare _look up at first. Then swallowing hard, she forced her jello-knees to at least cut down their quivering into half and forced herself to face her onslaught. She had to be brave, she knew. She had seen Hiten kill before - or rather, try to kill. It was swift and probably painless. She would be dead even before she knew it. Yea, that was the way to go...

But she couldn't stop the tears that prickled at the back of her eyes, even as images of Inuyasha, Sango Miroku and Shippou, Kaede and her family flashed pass. Would she even get to see them again... 

_NO!_ She suddenly thought fiercely to herself. Would she, Kagome Higurashi, die so easily without even putting up a fight?? What would Inuyasha or the rest say? What about Okasan, Souta, jiji, my friends! What about completing the whole damn Shikon-no-Tama??

With a wild flash in her eyes, she lifted her chin almost proudly, to face the terror before her. She wanted to tell him that she, Kagome Higurashi , would never admit defeat without a fight, youkai or not. She wanted to tell him, that if he ever dared lay hands on her, Inuyasha and the rest of her friends would come crashing in on them to save her and beat the crap out of him.Except, she hadn't expected to be struck by the beauty of Hiten once again. 

He really was magnificent.

_Nonetheless.._

"You would take on a defenseless girl!" She finally got out, though not intending to sound as feeble as she did. 

The youkai said nothing but stared on at her. Then, she saw his eyes shift down. And down. And down. With a gasp, she realised what he was looking at. Her face flushed with shame, nostrils flaring with anger.

"In the nude??" She added in an almost shrill voice, instinctively drawing her arms around to cover her exposed parts.

Finally, Hiten responded. With a snort. Then he turned his back on her and left Kagome standing there. 

***

  


He had sensed her presence all along. He knew she was watching the instant he rose from the water. In a flash, he was upon her, even before she realised it. That foolish woman still crouched behind her silly rock, probably contemplating her escape. He watched with cynical amusement as she turned slowly to carry out her plan, then freeze. 

She was naked, he noted almost immediately. Not that it bothered him. It would probably make the kill even more pleasurable. Clutching and unclutching his claws idly, he took in her lithe form, tensed and quivering like a feeble baby. It delighted him to see the fear he instilled in her. He had always thrived on fear, fed on its very essence. It fuelled him, filled him with a sort of adrenalin rush. He caught the traces of shimmering droplets on her face, saltish in smell. 

Tears, human weakness. It irked him to no end. 

Suddenly, he sensed a change in her moods. She tilted her chin upwards and he could see the sudden flash in her bright blue eyes. Like lightning, almost. He lifted a dark brow. Interesting. Then she was standing. Slowly, unsteadily, she managed to get up, even attempting to straighten her back.   
  
It did little to help of course. Even though it did improve his view. Lowering his gaze, he drank in her young, lean body, milky white with soft feminine curves and her two generous mounds of flesh.

"You would take on a defenseless girl!" He heard her saying. 

She would have been better off silent, he thought to himself wryly. Her voice gave away all signs of bravery she fought so hard to put on. Of course, she would be dead whether she had anything to say or not. Ignoring her, his roving eyes continued their downward journey. Sighing slightly, he flickered his amber gaze up again at her face. 

"In the nude??"

Hmm...valuing her chastity even at her deathbed. Not bad for a human wench, he thought, snorting with dislike. 

Almost without warning , he sensed another source of youki coming from the north directly behind him. His keen ears picked up the faint crashing of trees and the scraping of sharp claws and that feral grunting of a demon. Another mindless beast. About a hundred miles away from here. Frowning slightly, he turned to face the source of the disturbance. 

The trembling girl behind him almost forgotten but not quite, he took on a seemingly relaxed stance, his head tilted slightly to one side as he awaited with an almost patient air around him, for the youkai to appear.

And whatever it was finally made its appearance - 

"Inuyasha??" He heard the wench behind him gasp. 

***  


They stood - one tensed and crouched, the other, feet set casually apart and arms folded, a small smile of confidence grazing his lips. 

It felt almost like deja-vu.

Hadn't they faced-off each other, almost half a year ago? Could she even do anything to prevent it this time? 

"Inuyasha..." It was a whisper, but she knew his sensitive youkai ears could pick it up perfectly. She watched the right one twitch once, twice. Then it was still. And he remained silent, concentrating. That was strange in itself. Normally, Inuyasha would have reacted almost instantaneously, but now, there was something different. He seemed almost...afraid? 

It was Hiten who finally spoke up. "Your shards, woman. Give them to me." He addressed her without removing his gaze from Inuyasha. 

And normally, that would have been all that it took to provoke a violent response from the hanyou. But not this time. 

If an onlooker had been foolish enough to hang around, he would have wondered about the three living statues that stood and looked at each other. A hanyou, a girl and a supposedly dead youkai. 

Instinctively, Kagome's eyes swivelled from Inuyasha to Hiten's back. He wasn't armed (obviously, since he was close to naked, save for a piece of loin cloth draped loosely around his slim hips). Was that the reason for Inuyasha's hesitation? Somehow, she didn't think so. "Well whatever it is, at least they aren't tearing each other's throats out. Yet," she muttered, feeling absently behind her for the beach cloth she had the sense to bring along. 

Inuyasha moved in a flash. With a powerful leap, he sailed across Hiten's head, landing with a splash between the youkai and Kagome. He scooped her within his arms and with a second bound, ferried her across the spring, promptly depositing her with a loud thump onto the grass. 

Kagome had to thank her past experiences with youkai - at least she had the composition enough to remain fairly unruffled througout the process, which probably took less than a minute. 

"Oof! Can't you be more gent - "

"Not now," Inuyasha warned gravely, his voice lacking of its usual confidence and flare for once. And it worried Kagome. If Inuyasha was behaving this, than something must really be bothering him. But just what was it? She had only seen Inuyasha react like this on several occasions, mostly when encountered by his half-brother, Sesshoumaru. 

The hanyou dropped his fire-rat coat over her as his gaze remained fixated over Hiten, his arm was poised warningly over the Tetsusaiga. "No matter what. Don't give the shards to him. I mean it, Kagome." 

***  


His golden eyes narrowed as he surveyed Hiten grimly. His extended fangs gnashed against each other in a tense snarl. The lean muscles beneath his kimono were stretched taut, ready for flight. The other youkai stood thigh deep in the spring as he returned Inuyasha's gaze levelly. In a pose which was relaxed and anything but defensive. Inuyasha roughly knew the reason why. 

Hiten was emitting an immense youki so powerful, it was close to smothering Inuyasha. 

Inuyasha was baffled, through and through. Couldn't Kagome sense it? But he didn't have time to contemplate it. In situations like these, only one string of thought could be processed through his mind: prepare to fight, at any sign of danger. And protect Kagome's life and the shards at all costs. Flee, if necessary. 

How this youkai had managed to survive, he wasn't concerned about, didn't give a shit. 

Right now, it was the overwhelming swirl of youki radiating from him, that scared him.   


-end chapter 6- 

* * *

***EDITED*** He had sensed her presence all along. He knew she was watching the instant he rose from the water. In a flash, he was upon her, even before she realised it. That foolish woman still crouched behind her silly rock, probably contemplating her escape. He watched with cynical amusement as she turned slowly to carry out her plan, then freeze. 

biggest thanks to all who're reading ^____^ love u guys!!   
  
well i really hate to bitch about this but...for the last time, i KNOW my chapters are short, and there's no need for me to be reminded again and again =_=. they might not be much, but i take time off from my everyday life to work my ass off these chapters and i miss my sleep, sitting here and typing till four in the morning, just to get them to the you readers as fast as i possibly can, without losing too much of writing quality. it just adds more pressure to me and when i'm pressurized, i find it harder to perform...so please. enough about short chapters. really . 

ok. and the next thing is, i'm looking for a beta-reader! mostly to give me more detailed opinions bout the story and such, and suggestions for future plots. anyone interested?? *gives puppy dog eyes* 

NOTE! one last matter. alot of you have said that there aren't any other Hiten fics around - its not true! i mentioned it before but i think u guys missed it, so here r the links:

**High Voltage Reviving the Thunder Part 1 by Matoko Shizaki** :   
**The Eyes of Maten by Kazoo Avenger** : 

though they're about Hiten with OC's, they're very interesting and well written fics if i must say so, and do pay them a visit, and REVIEW!! ^____________^   



	7. My name is

**16.01.03**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reijuu brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to devlop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

* * *

**Distant Thunder   
(PART II)  
**By: cacat-angel

**chapter 7: **My name is...

He circled the pair lazily, enjoying the gentle slush of water against his thighs as misty steam twisted and curled skywards. Stopping several paces away, he lowered his body carelessly and eased himself back into the waters. The boulder felt good behind his head - roughened and hard. It soothed away a curious aching that was taking form within his temples. 

The hanyou was protective, he could tell. Of the woman behind him. Wary. And afraid. Yes, of him. Why, he wondered. Did he fear for the woman, or for his own hide?

The answer was unnecessary. Everything else was insignificant to him, except for one. 

"Tell me. Who am I?"

***

For a moment, nothing registered in Kagome's mind. It was a simple enough question, but the implication behind it was startling. "Are you - are you joking?" She asked out loud, shuffling to her feet with Inuyasha's haori clasped tightly around her shoulders. 

Inuyasha spat at the ground violently. "Keh! Pretending eh, you bastard?!" 

"Inuyasha!" 

The bristling hanyou ignored her chastened cry but kept aggressively silent, his fierce golden gaze never leaving the youkai. Distractedly, Kagome wondered about his strange behaviour. It wasn't to say that she was in favour of a fight - she was actually rather relieved. Just that Inuyasha was never this...passive? 

"Bastard, hn. Well go on then. Make your move. Will that ease the hatred inside of you, then?" Hiten replied levelly, rolling his head as he popped the stiffness from his neck. 

"Actually, I think he's serious, Inuyasha." Kagome spoke from behind him sternly, standing on tiptoes to peer over his shoulder. The hanyou actually had his left arm held wide open, acting like a cage which trapped Kagome behind his back. 

"Just shut your trap Kagome. This guy...he's a frea - "

It happened so swiftly that even Inuyasha, with his demonic strength and speed, was caught off guard. One moment Hiten was lazing in the waters, addressing them as if they were long time friends, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do. And the next, he had somehow gotten past Inuyasha and was gripping Kagome by the neck, three feet above the ground. 

"Well?" He snarled, his crimson eyes snapping and flashing with fire. "Are you telling me, or do I have to force it out of you?" 

"Ow! Let me go - " Kagome rasped angrily, her tiny fists digging furious red nicks into his flesh, legs kicking wildly in the air. "I'll tell you, just let me - "

"Silence, bitch! I want to hear it coming from this hanyou scum..." He turned the blazing red pupils upon her. "And not you."  


The tetsusaiga was unsheated in an instant, roaring to life with a loud swish. There was a moment's hesitation. Then, Inuyasha was air-bound, large fangs gnashing against each other in anger, the mighty sword a large white blur above him, dwarfing him with its sheer size. 

Grim determination set into her eyes as soon as as she realised his intentions, right before it took place. Heart drumming wildly, her nose flared with each throttled breath she heaved. It took all the confidence she had in Inuyasha to keep her from screaming with fear, as she watched the mighty blade crash down upon them - 

But the blow didn't come. Instead, the grip on her neck disappeared, reappearing around her waist. And then she was flying backwards, into the foliage of trees behind her. This time, she did scream. 

"KYaaa! Inuyashaaa!!"

***

It was like a viking ride. Her insides did somersaults as blurs of green and blue fell into rhythm with each violent rise and fall. Her hair billowed wildly forwards, a streaming tangle of dark ink. Then, there was the slightest sensation of a forgotten warmth slipping from her shoulders. A flash of pink - and she could now feel the sharp knives of wind cutting swiftly against her body. 

"Stop it! Hiten, you are Hiten! Now let me GO!" Squeezing her eyes shut against her whipping hair, she screamed thinly. 

There was a final fall, and suddenly, all was still again. 

Kagome dropped to her knees limply,, breath ragged, arms braced weakly against the ground. 

"Humph, idiot." 

Kagome looked up. Hiten stood, back facing her, seemingly unaffected save for the light beads on moisture on his body. Or was it water from the hot spring? Well whatever it was, _he _certainly owned her an explanation. For putting her through that earth shaking ride. Compared to _that,_ sitting atop Inuyasha's back was like sitting on a merry-go-round. Ssecretly, she swore never to set foot on a viking again, ever. 

"You're the idiot. Baka. What difference does it make, if I told you who you were, or Inuyasha?" She rubbed her raw neck with her free hand, as if she could feel the red imprintments upon the delicate surface. "Haven't you gotten the answer all the same?"

"He certainly cares enough for you." 

"Excuse me? I - " But before she could complete her sentence, a pink haori was drapped loosely around her back. Inuyasha's haori. 

It was only then, did she realise her state of dressing. Tha haori had blown off somewhere in the course of her trip, leaving her down to her birthday suit. Hiding the wave of embarrassment, she tugged it tightly with both hands. 

"Uh did you bring this back for..."

Hiten ignored the question but sat gracefully on the soft grass beside her, legs crossed and arms folded. He turned his head to the side, studying her intently. He tapped his long digits against his chin thoughtfully, before reaching out for her hair. "Behaving like he did back then. What a shame, all he managed to chop off was a chunk of your lovely locks." 

Kagome started, slapping his hand away instintively. Her pink lips curled downwards in a slight scowl and she turned her body so she was back facing him. With slightly trembling fingers, she reached behind and twisted her dark curls and inspected them. It was obscure, almost camoflagued, but uncomfortably clear. A large chunk was missing at the ends. 

She inhaled, fixing her glare fiercely on the blades of grass. "It wasn't what you thought. Inuyasha, he tried to save me. From _you_! Don't you dare try accusing him of anything..." 

He grinned then, fangs glistening a pale cream peeked from the corners of his lips. "Why was he so unwilling to reveal my name? Was he afraid?" 

"You...did you really lose your memory?" 

"It happens." He sighed melodramatically and turned to face her, his broad shoulders lifting and falling with a shrug. "But you're steering away from my question. Was there something he didn't want me to know? Or maybe...remember?" 

_***  
  
  
_

How long had he been wandering? He had walked on simply, not bothering to count the times the moon had chased away the blazing sun. He had walked, in the scorching heat of the sun, and he had basked under the gentle light of the moon. 

Sometimes, he was challenged by witless youkai. If he was in a good mood, he would laugh off their weak attempts. More often than not though, his temper would be was riled by the mindless creatures, and their meaningless lives crushed with a slight twist of his fingers. 

At other times, he would come across fields after fields of bloodied carcasses, barely distinguishable between man and beast in their disfiguration. And always present, would be a lingering stench of greed and bloodlust. 

And though the sensation within him was barely recognizable, he had sense enough to know what it was - disgust. Something more than just mild annoyance or even boredom. Something which seemed to gnaw at his insides, everytime he bore witness to these battle scenes. Instinctively, he would find himself attempting to conceal any surfacing emotions, though unable to recall reasons which would explain why. It was, most likely, a reaction honed into him even before the 'emptiness'. 

Yes, the 'emptiness'. The void which resided in his being, and seemed to increase each day. It was like a large rip that grew in size. 

Until the girl had given him his name.

Until now. 

_Hiten_...

Was that the name he had been searching for? 

It struck an achingly familiar chord somewhere within him, and he knew that the girl was speaking the truth. Gut feeling or instinct, he wasn't sure. But something warned him that this strange woman-child held no lies. 

He repeated the word over and over again in his mind, lapping it up greedily like a young youkai cub would with its mother's precious, life-giving milk. Slowly but steadily, a smile formed upon his face.

_***  
  
  
_

The panting hanyou buried his clawed fists into the ground and let out a chillingly high-pitched cry of anger. He thumped his fists against the grass repeatedly, each strike a vent for his pent-up frustrations, almost shaking the ground with his strength and intensity. 

"Kuso, kuso, KUSO!"

His breath was ragged, his abnormally long tongue lolled in between the canines. The white under-kimono was soaked with his pespiration despite the cold drafts of air around him. And all this, showed barely a fraction of his early afternoon run. 

He was just this close to giving up. On the wench. On Kagome. Just this close. 

Afterall, what did she bring to him, from the day she had met him? Nothing, nothing short of trouble. Oh yea, she was a god-damned miko, the sacred one, they say. And oh yea, she certainly had uncanny abilities that allowed her to spot the shards from a distance. And yea, she had saved his own ass on several occasions. He had to give her credit for that, as much of a bastard as he was. 

But.

There she had to go. Get abducted, kidnapped, stolen, whatever - he was never an educated person - just time and time again. And then there _he _had to go, on a wild goose chase to rescue her skinny butt. All that for what? Well, for her to be kidnapped _again_, of course.

And it didn't help matters, that this was no ordinarily strong youkai he was facing for the first time. Well, not for the first time, but close. He rememberd that son-of-a-bitch alright. Hiten, the thunder-youkai scum he had made a clean job of the first time round. Just that he didn't expect there to be a second round, no more than he had expected the bastard to suddenly turn into a super-youkai...the youki equivalent to that and maybe more of a _taiyoukai_.

"Inuyasha!" 

He could hear the faint calls in a distance now - the kitsune brat and the annoying humans. Somehow, they'd picked up the trail. Great. Now he would have to face more lectures, for losing their precious Kagome. 

Where was Kikyo when you needed her?!  
  


-end chapter 7-  


* * *

Its been awhile, hasn't it? As usual, i'd just like to give my thanks to those who've been kindly supporting me and reading my story and giving me the *huge* moral boost that i needed. Special thanks to **Thunk** for your wonderfully long and unbiased comments, to **Ms.Videl Son, Lynnxlady,** for your long-term support,**Mistress-Pen** for appreciating my 'hard work' (thankx hun!) and dear **Iseult** /beta-reader for your uplifting comments! To all those i haven't mentioned, it doesn't mean that i don't appreciate you guyz ^____^ Here's a big *HUGZZZ*!!!!   
(does sound mighty like an oscar-award speech huh. well i can always dream can't i? lolz)   
  
and don't worry folks, i dont think part II will be ending so soon =D  
  
oh and btw! i've always been meaning to ask...i hate spamming you folks with emails whenever i update, so i'll just leave   
  
it to you guys to let me noe if u want to be notified. thanks ^.^  



	8. Mayflies

**16.05.03**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reijuu brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to devlop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

**A/N**: Howdy! It's been a long time hasn't it? I'm not quite sure just how the sudden turnout of a new chapter would be received. In fact, i'm almost afraid I might jolly well lose all my audience, what with sudden disappearing act I pulled *laughs*. Well this is for all you folks who've stuck with me throughout, and haven't given up on Distant Thunder just yet. I love you all, and I appreciate the support everyone of you have been giving me through the reviews and emails. I haven't forgotten them a single bit. 

Well this is brand new chapter is certainly turning out more angsty than I had planned for. (Must be all the Smashing Pumpkins songs I've been listening to -_-) I have to admit, I started off feeling uncertain as to where this will be heading. Afterall I had taken a close to four months break from writing. But I was pleasantly surprised when Kagome and Hiten and their entire world seemed to flow from my fingertips. I'm just glad these two aren't as mad at me as I'd thought *winks* 

**Warning**: Disturbing content ahead. If you are uncomfortable with the presence of blood, slight violence and gore, I highly advice you to skip the lower half. I'm sorry, but I just don't want to sacrifice the key plotlines for censorship purposes alone. Those who missed out and want to know what went on can email me, and I'll give a rough, beeped summary of it all ^__^ Cheers, and thank you all for reading! 

* * *

**Distant Thunder   
(PART II)  
**By: cacat-angel

_  
it's you that I adore   
you'll always be my whore   
you'll be the mother to my child   
and a child to my heart   
we must never be apart  
____  
Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore_

**chapter 8: **mayflies**  
  
**

Truthfully, she didn't think they would ever have crossed paths again. The thought was as foreign as the concept of short, revealing skirts to the inhabitants of Feudal Japan. So it was decidedly strange that the lightning youkai who had - to list just a few offences - abducted her, threatened to put a hole in her face, tried to electrocute her and basically attempt to murder her, was seated just a few feet away. 

And with a contemplative, almost serene expression etched across his ageless face. 

Kagome, on the other hand, was feeling jittery. And that was to say the least. Surely there was at least an entire coloney of ants wriggling within her pants, had she been wearing any pants at all. Which, she realised, brought her to a particularly blush-inducing, adrenalin-pumping, blood-rushing point. 

Save for the red haori of Inuyasha's draped perilously over her shoulders, she was right down to the bare necessities of things. 

"Am I supposed to sit around all day and watch while you entertain yourself with...goodness-knows-what going on in your mind, or are we going to make a move now?" She hoped the irritation in her voice was a guise enough for the terrifying, and strangely awkward position he had put her in. Awkward, pointless and...

Just where on earth was Inuyasha?? 

The disgruntled girl straightened up suddenly, eyes squinting in the estimate direction of where they had come from.

"Don't bother. That worthless mutt wouldn't track us down even if he had the wits to go with his nose." 

The cruel, biting-cold in his low voice hit her, deep into her guts. It seemed so strange all of a sudden, to hear the very same voice which had threatened her many months ago in the thunder-youkai lair, and she wondered why she hadn't realised the change in his tone until now. Had it always been this chilling? This...sinister? 

Did she miss out the unmistakable stench of death? 

The delicate point which she was balanced on suddenly seemed to tip down, down, down, where deadly spears filled a dark pit of doom below.

"Just where are we?" She demanded, the brave front she had put on faltering and cracking like a sheer layer of ice above an early spring's pond. Was this the reason why Inuyasha had seemed so...afraid? She suddenly found that she didn't want to know the answer at all. But she knew one thing for certain. 

She had once thought that he wasn't such a monster after all. 

And boy was she oh, so mistaken.

She almost wished she hadn't asked, and she didn't know which outcome was worse...his seemingly nonchalent answer, or the sinister drip of venom that coated his words. 

"Enchantment, woman." 

Kagome's eyes pulsed with gradual realization, even as her mind whirled frantically to comprehend. Enchantment? Surely not...then...did that mean Inuyasha _wouldn't _be able to find them here? 

"Even if he were able to break through the spell," Hiten continued lazily, his flaming eyes never leaving her mask of confusion and sudden despair. "Even if he were _smart_ enough to break through the spell, I doubt he would bother." 

Again! Just what was he implying? The words cut through her suddenly, anger set ablaze where she wouldn't have expected. She grabbed Inuyasha's haori close around her unconsciously. "This is the _second time _you've...you've hinted at that! I can assure you, Inuyasha will do no such thing - "

"Yes, he won't rescue you." He agreed, this time with wicked, malicious boredom. 

"He wouldn't _not_ bother rescuing me!" 

"You are a little fool, woman."

"And you are a spiteful, catty...youkai!" She seethed, wishing for the world that she had something, _something_ with her to hit him on the head with. 

"I am, that's such a fucking compliment?" He snapped. The downturned edges of his lips curled upwards, and he smiled then. And if his voice hadn't chilled her spine, the very look of raw evil at its purest, was more than enough to freeze her entire being. "You don't have the slightest idea, pathetic wench."

She stared at him, speech failing to reach her trembling lips where once, there would have been a torrent of angry words waiting to erupt.

Abrubtly, Hiten stood and turned in one single liquid motion, a darkly ethereal grace which Kagome had never even thought he possessed. 

The change was so subtle, Kagome almost missed it. But as if some uncanny ability of hers had chosen to surface at that instant, she couldn't help but realise how, when his steps had once been brash and straightforward almost to the point of machoism, was now lightly tinged with a upernatural, serpentine fluidity. A fluidity that was just...not Hiten at all. 

She blinked, confused pools of darkened honey never leaving the youkai's receding back. His raven locks, loose and now thoroughly dried by the dense air, flowed in multiple strands of glistening black, and she realised yet again, that she had never before seen his trademark queue as free and untied as it was now. 

Almost as if he had...changed, somehow.

"Are you waiting for this spiteful beast to leave you to the pits of night's hell, or are you getting up and following?" 

Kagome glanced up, lingered at the distant treetops, before actually inspecting the area they were in. 

On first look, an ordinary clearing in a forest. On second glance, nothing either. Just a small clearing, illuminated only by moonshine. Dark forest in surrounding. Apart from that...just what was so threatening about these woods? 

Afterall, hell, as he had so nicely put it, was presently making its way forward and requesting that she followed, wasn't it? 

She shrugged it off as a threat eventually. 

The oddity of his spoken words struck her only as she stumbled to her feet, trotting reluctantly behind the hulking figure ahead of her. Had he just said.._the pits of night's hell_? Since when had the the thunder youkai spout forth words of such a...poetic nature? If she remembered correctly, colourful and expressive was the vocabulary in his dictionary perhaps, but never had they bordered at the edge of _eloquency_. 

She frowned, delicately chewing on her lip even as her angry, stomping feet announced her ever so kindly appreciated presence.

***  
  


Moments later found Kagome busy slapping at the buzzing flies eager to grace her arrival into the forest. While it was considerably easy to ignore the thunder-youkai's intimidating demeanor, the insects generated a strange chilled tingle at the base of her spine, running in a single flow of current up her neck and across her scalp. 

She looked around again.

Nothing. 

Just the backdrop of a typical forest scene at dusk: shadows upon layers of shadows of shrubs, bushes and deciduous trees, faint rustling sounds probably made by nocturnal creatures out for their nightly hunt, an occasional hoot or two of an owl and maybe a few harmless youkai or two - nope. Nothing too unusual here.

Probably the miserable lack of conversation. 

"Hi-Hiten-san." She called out, hoping that if his actual name itself wouldn't get his attention, the 'san' suffix would. 

"That is not for you to call." 

Well, so much for a reply.

"Alright then, mister _reishou-san_." She paused, and his silence seemed a prompt for her to continue. "I know this question would probably be getting on your nerves but...just where are we going, and _what_ exactly do you want from me? I already gave you your name, oh and by the way, your welcome - " 

...eyeball, stomp, stomp...

" - so what else could I possibly be of service to you? Why all this need for an enchanted forest? I know, to keep away that hanyou _scum, _as you've so politely put it but - "

"The flies...you have noticed their presence?" 

Huh? What the..."Ye-yeah...and the flies. Annoying little fellas aren't they? But hardly any cause for concern...while I'm at it, well this might sound rude but...why aren't you...um...I mean aren't you supposed to be..." 

"I suggest you walk closer to me, woman." 

She shifted the haori around her body again, slowly adjusting to the strange sensation of having nothing underneath. A crooked smile lifted her chapped lips. "Closer? That is quite a ...far-away option...ha...ha..." In other words, thanks but no thanks.

Ouch! Something just bit her...

She waved the sudden prick away, dismissing it as an insect bite, when she was pierced again on her neck. 

"Ittai! Hurts..." She muttered, absently rubbing on the bite with the pad of her index finger. Then, she froze. Just...what was that...

_Wriggle?!_

"Uh...Hiten-san? I think we..." Oh damn, another bite. Gingerly, she smoothed across the surface of her skin, resting on a little bump which rose halfway to her neck. And then, it _moved. _Even as her finger rested on the bump. She could feel it, twitch by painful twitch, and it seemed to get bigger.

This time, she felt her heart skip a beat. _Oh shit..._

"Hiten-san, I think I've got a bit of a problem," her voice rose, shriller than she had wanted it to come across. The tiny prickles of sweat appeared on her forehead, her breath quickening with each gasping breath she took. "I've got _something_ underneath my skin..." 

He stopped and turned to face, and the tiniest shard of relief numbed her racing heart. 

"I warned you."

"Yes...yes I know that, now would you _please_ come over here? I - I don't think this is something I can handle on my own..." 

_Oh goddamnit, you're losing your cool, Kagome! Deep breathing, deep breathing..._ Her nostrils flared with every effort to calm herself, but the horrible sensation of that _something _crawling under her skin, was just a tad too much, even for a girl who was used to facing youkai all the time. 

"Please!"

She didn't know if he was smirking at her plea or not; she didn't care. 

Because with each word that she spoke, and each second that was wasted, the bump - the two bumps were growing. 

And growing. 

And _wriggling. _

She pressed down hard, half afraid that the bumps would soon start moving on their own accord, even as she lifted her head fearfully to meet the thunder youkai's gaze. 

***  
  


He could see her perfectly, eyes wide and unseeing as the moon ahead. She was staring right at him, yet he knew she wasn't seeing him. The damned woman was too pleasantly _afraid_ to see anything, but fear itself. 

With each slow, calculated step he took, it seemed as if the woman was close to collapsing on the ground. Her small, rosebud mouth opened into a wheezing hole, the delicate fingers she had planted over the seemingly invisible wounds trembling with delicious agony. 

Well fortunately for her, the larvae had yet to ripen. 

"Why...?"

She was whispering, and suddenly, she could see again. 

"Why...you did this to me - " The words were ripped from her mouth by a piercing scream, and she keeled over. 

He knew the mindless agony. He'd seen it, thousands upon thousands, during his moons of mindless journeys. Gross, mutilated human heads, youkai and human alike as they crawled over decay and rot, their skin an infinite layer of squirming flesh. Then, the hideous parasitic youkai would emerge from within...

"Please!" 

His astute hearing picked up the human's sharp gasp of pain distinctively, among the constant buzzing of the adult youkai that circled angrily about him. He knelt before her form as it solidified into a frozen lump of turbulence, finally dropping on the ground with a thump. Her fresh heart thundered in his ears, each throbbing beat a singular cry for help. 

"Had enough, woman?" He grinned, forearm rested upon his raised knee casually. 

***

  
"Had enough, woman?"

The monster...he..._he _did this to her! He knew, all along! 

"Yes, damnit!" She grated through clenched teeth. 

The pain was antagonizing, as if every single nerve on her neck was concentrating with burning fire and acid. For the craziest moment, she wished that he could just chop her neck off and be done with it. Even as her consciousness screamed out for its last remaining grasp over her. Already, the cackles of delight were beginning to resound in her mind, growing louder with each crazed dance of the larvae that were burrowed just beneath her skin. "Do something!" 

And he did. 

***  
  


His clawed hand near smashed her head to the muddy grass, as he wrenched her thin arm away in the same motion. Her neck was left exposed, and already, two furious red welts throbbing with unnatural life, beneath the thin layer of skin and veins, writhing erraticly in wicked delight. He dug a vicious talon into the side of her neck calmly, wishing for all the world that her annoying screams of pain would stop. 

So this was what he received for a favour huh. How ungrateful. No matter, he would demand payment in due time. 

The larvae of the youkai were considerably difficult to locate. After all, the natural mechanisms in their long spiral bodies demanded that they burrow deep into their host, instead of just sticking around at the surface like most parasites would have. 

Finally, his claw pierced through two small, shelled bodies. With his thumb, he pinched the two youkai larvae and extracted them from the woman's neck, then flung them carelessly on the ground. Two black, wormlike creatures slapped onto the ground, coated with gleaming blood over their intricate bodies. These parasitic youkai were nothing but harmless insects outside a human host. It was the parent youkai who were the cause for worry. Seemingly insignificant flies, but he had witnessed entire hoards of the dangerous creatures lay their spawn within powerful youkai once too many - the miserable brutes were dead within seconds. 

It was strange, but he never knew why he had escaped the onslaught of these rare parasitic youkai during the period of his mindless wonderings, even till this day. 

"Hnn." 

He snorted, turning his attention back to the woman who laid on her side amongst the blood splattered grass, twitching every so often in unnatural spasms. His eyes flickered over the pebble sized wound that poured forth precious blood, resting on the dazed, almost empty expression carved across her face. But look closely, and it was obviously not the case. Her once vivacious, sapphire eyes, were now paralysed with an invisible veil. A sheer layer of agony and terror and disbelief, and crusted with dried liquid. 

Even as he observed, the colour was fast leaking from her gaping mouth, opened as if to protest in silent anger, the outrage and hatred towards the beast she beliefed; no..._knew_, he was. He flashed a quick, lopsided grin, baring fangs that gleamed in the dark. 

"Be grateful I did the best I could, without having to break off your neck woman, though that was a tempting thought. Your annoying cries were getting to my head." 

Grabbing her limp arm, he hefted her torso easily across his lap, not caring about the piercing sharp claws that dug into her tender flesh. Her head lolled lifelessly on her neck, her body slack and heavy. But if anything, this mortal woman would die from foolishness alone, rather than physical wounds. As far as humans were concerned, this one had, by far, either the toughest hide he'd ever seen, or the most couragest mind - 

He started at the grudging realisation. Incandescent crimson eyes narrowed, and curved lips tightened to a deathly grimace. "Don't be smug, wench. You wouldn't be getting it so easy, if it weren't for your damned powers."

With impatient, callous fingers, he brushed the swirls of blood soaked hair off her neck, exposing the swollen wound. Already, he could smell the dank stench of decay and venom. The flesh surrounding the thick chunks of congealated blood, pale yellow pus oozing from the inside. 

For the briefest pause, his gaze settled on the unfocused milky blue eyes. 

Then without missing a beat, he buried clawed fingers into the wound and gourged out an entire rim of decayed flesh. 

Her body erupted immediately into wrecking convulsions, the pain obviously too great for her weak physique to withhold. The blood flow which had slowed down now spurted thick viscuous liquid, trailing down her white neck in messy, ruby streams. Her mouth trembled violently even as her eyes rolled back into her head. 

Hiten felt an instinctive growl rumble within his chest. But time didn't allow for him to wonder why. Leaning over, he placed his lips over the torn flesh tissue and trailed his tongue over the burning wound. 

The combined taste of copper and primal hunger and infinite power seared his tongue even before contact. The blood was heaven, but it was the pure bliss of infinite power radiating from within the girl, which threatened to cloud his iron control. Vaguely, he could feel numb sparks which leaped all over. 

_Damn you to seven hells, miko. _ He cursed scathingly, but his fingers, the very fingers which had caused her this much agony, were now gentle as the falling sakura petals. Tender fingers which stroked and sought to bring comfort to the writhing girl on his lap. 

The venom he secreted from his mouth and directly into her wound, was steadily taking its intended effect. 

With each stroke of his tongue, he could feel healing process of her human body speed up as if by magic. The torn muscles within her neck woved in intricate ribbons together. Soon, the open wound which had been raw flesh and ripped ligament began forming new cells and tissues. The deep gourge in her neck was repairing itself and closing up quickly.

***  
  


When the entire healing was over, he found himself caressing a smooth, if bloody neck with his tongue. 

He pulled away from her and spat, pushing her comatose body away from his lap. 

Then he seemed to change his mind. 

He half-dragged the unconscious girl back into his arms. Supporting her lifeless head with his palm, he laid her cheeks slowly upon the hollow of his neck, pulling her legs and arms tighter against her body, circling her small frame with a seemingly protective embrace. 

The girl laid against him, and he suddenly noticed that she was looking for all the world as if her head had been decapitated from her body, and then sewn back with seamless stitches. The thunder youkai barked a short laugh. He grinned savagely in anticipation, running a tongue across his blood smeared lips as he rested his back against the wizened, flaky old bark of a thick tree behind him. 

Just _how_ would the wench react to this tomorrow? 

- end chapter 8 -

* * *

**A/N**: So! You've made it this far? Certainly hope I haven't ruined anyone's dinner/lunch/breakfast yet. Personally, I find this nothing much at all, compared to many movies and novels out there. I have seen much much more explicit details, and I'm sure many else have too. But the warning was plopped just in _case_ some of you decided you would flame me for being an 'inconsiderate' author. *takes deep breath* So. How was it? Come on, give me your best shot. I'm just dying to know right now! 

**Reviews Corner (if anyone's reading this at all ^__^;) **

**[Draco MalfoyGirl 16]** Hi! Your review just made me cry with hope. Thank you! 

**[Wolf SilverMoon]** Thank you dear! I'm delighted :-) It's always one of an author's greatest pleasures when the reader is actually inspired to do something. Whether you've gone ahead and re-watched the episode, I thank you greatly for your compliment!

**[Tears of Amethyst**] Here's an update for ya! Kikyo is still dropping in 'randomly' for now, but she will play a part in later chapters to come. Keep an eye out!

**[Tigerchild]** I am so very sorry for keeping you waiting hun!!! I know its been ages, but you know what, I'm just glad you stuck by me (even though you do sound mighty pissed off lol) Thank you! And yes, there's definitely a romance going on for the both of them. But its a romance with a generous dose of anger and hatred O__o

**[cappie]** Lol. I wonder if you did finish reading?! Leave a review if you did...pretty please? =D And thank you muchly for your review...its really great that you find a balance! I was having a hard time working it out. 

**[Matoko Shizaki]** Hi hunny! I updated after all wakakaka *ehem* Just couldn't disappoint you and so many other folks who've been reading ya noe? I'm not sure how many will be left this time round after the loonnng break i took, but I'm putting this up still, just in case there's still someone who's following DT =) 

**[Lady BlackDragonFire]** Oh dear i wasn't trying to make Inuyasha bastardy. I think i've only got my writing skills to blame *sobz* i will bear your words in mind when i write about him again! Thanks so much ^^ 

**[Cin of an Angel]** *cries* Sorry!! I think i did slack off :-p with school and work and so many other things, i just...couldn't help it...*hangs head in shame* 

**[keika]** Hi! If you happen to read this, i'd just like to say i really appreciated your review ^___^ erm hope this isn't too late to wish you luck for your projects!

**[Iseult]** my beloved beta-reader/email pal! lolz. Thanks for the patience and advise! You really pulled me through there, even if it mightn't seem much to ya. appreciated it wholley =D

**[Mistress-Pen]** i hoped it wasn't too obvious XD But i guess now, she'll start to dislike him all over again!!

**[lynnxlady]** thankies dear! For just sticking up for me. Just love ya for that! *showers your with lotsa Hiten hugs and stuff bishonen* I'll clear up the stuff about Kikyo. I know i'm a little messed up with the timeline right now as well, probably cos its a stray from the canon. I'll get to it in due time :-D 

**[Ms.Videl Son]** Here's a loonnng chapter. Like what you said, i'm actually worried the quantity might suffer this time round. And i'm terribly sorry, didn't mean to bash-up poor inu O_O; i'll take note of that, esp for inuyasha fans...thankiess!! 

**[Thunk]** hah! Now you've got me a floating all seven inches off the ground. That really wasn't necesary, but it was terribly sweet of ya! I'm actually grateful you left me those critiques - they helped an awful lot, seriously speaking. Thank you so much once again! 

**[Sera Luanma]** Thanks! That's just one of the greatest pleasures of fanfic writing ya noe, getting right down to the bare essentials that make up each character, and trying to fit them into roles other than that of their canon ones. Glad you liked ^__^

To ALL the other kind, sweet and dear reviewers of mine who i haven't had the time to reply (i'm just so excited to post this!), thank you all for the wonderful thoughts and words!! i love reading through each and every one of them (as much as i say that i write solely for pleasure alone). Its great that you folks enjoyed, disenjoyed my writing, but its awesome that you take the time to review. Thank you all once again. This chapter's to all the lovelies who've been waiting so patiently!! 


	9. Blood Shed

**29.05.03**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reijuu brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to devlop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

**A/N**: alright not much action in this chapter. i took a long time churning this one out. somehow words seemed to be failing me. all...the...distraction...!!

* * *

**Distant Thunder   
(PART II)  
**By: cacat-angel

_  
it's you that I adore   
you'll always be my whore   
you'll be the mother to my child   
and a child to my heart   
we must never be apart  
____  
Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore_

**chapter 9: **Blood Shed  


Kagome blinked and found herself staring up at the slanted, wooden ceiling. Speckles of dust flitted overhead in the faded sunshine. She blinked again, even as her mind struggled through the haze in an attempt to wake itself up. The rest of the room came into view - a considerably tiny hut. Musty brown planks covered the floor and walls, wooden barrels filled with firewood lined the far end, while cracked pots and pans were cluttered before a little wooden cupboard in a corner. 

Kagome slid a hand against the side of her neck and massaged it absently, her eyes roving the cramped area for some giveaway clues.

She needn't have searched any further. There was a rustling behind her and even as she crained her tensed neck muscles to turn around, a pair of nut brown feet came into view. The feet paused for a long while before tanned legs lowered themselves to the ground. 

A boy of about twelve, Kagome realised. Sullen and tanned, tight-lipped like the peasant folk she so saw so often. She shifted her position with feint hands, careful not to crick her neck too much - looking at the boy's face was definitely not as awkward as talking to his cotton-covered stomach. 

Dark, round eyes met her gaze, the frankness of a peasant boy making an honest living. She let out a tiny breath she realised she had been holding. If there was one thing she had learnt throughout her travelling, it was that shifty eyes were a dead giveaway.

"Yer awake missus?" His voice was gruff but faintly reliefed. 

"Ye-yes...thank you. Very much." She smiled, a light shimmer of pearly teeth. 

The boy bobbed his head down once. "You were a mess when we found you," he stated, eyeing her from the corner of his eyes. Suspicion flickered in the dark brown depths. 

The smile on her face crooked itself, and she cocked a dainty brow. "I was, huh."

Hiten. How could she forget! The fuzzy memories seemed to take a more solid edge as events started unveiling themselves slowly. And the more she remembered, the more she felt chilled. Those were kodak moments she definitely needed to stay away from.

"Well," she puffed, half certain the arm she had managed to prop herself up with would give way at any moment. She was more than just curious to know, as much as she dreaded the potential morbidity of the answer. "What kind of mess?" 

The boy hesitated before hefting her upright with the callousness of youth. "Okasan...she helped dress ya. She's gone out but she'll be back soon..."

Kagome reached with an unconscious hand for the olive green tie that graced her customary uniform even before the boy's words sank in. She looked down and it took her awhile to realise that she wasn't in her uniform as reflex had made her believe; she wasn't even in Inuyasha's haori as she now remembered - he fire-rat coat had been replaced with a simple grey katana, loose fitting but tied on firmly by a thick belt at the waist. 

She had to smile again at the rosy blush that suddenly streaked across on his young cheeks. In this strange instant, she was reminded of Souta, the younger brother she had to leave behind during her journy to the Sengoku Jidai. Souta, ever the annoyingly loveable, bumbling, if cowardly little brother. She missed him more than just a little...

"What's your name?" Kagome asked. 

Another sudden hesitation. Not that it surprised her. The folk living in a war-torn era were a far cry from the population of her time, pampered by society and wealth. She chewed on her lip to bite down the sudden smirk. She had been doing quite abit of growing up herself, dowsed with a fair share of cynicism. 

"Haruki," the answer finally came, that little bit of distance never closing. He pushed himself to his feet with a brisk motion. "Get some rest. You were covered with...blood." 

That last revelation came as abit of a shock, and yet Kagome had the unsettling feeling that the boy wasn't lying. She had trouble recalling the details from yesterday still, but she knew it was something Hiten was clearly capable of doing. Inflicting physical harm on her. But did this mean that the youkai had decided to let her go after all? 

The thought that followed washed through her like a gently tide, a sudden comfort and relief.

Inuyasha. She had to get back to him.

"Haruki, answer me, please." Firm resolution. "Where are we now? Your house...is it still in...the forest? Or are we outside?"

"The forest. At the very edge of it." 

Her eyes brightened, a gleam of hope coursing through. Then Inuyasha would come! 

She was bumped back to reality by the weird look that twitched the boy's rounded features. "When we found ya. What happened? Did ya run into...youkai?" 

Kagome stared back at him, mentally pushing and moulding her face into a careful plane of indifference. Oh the irony of the situation. She held her breath. "Youkai? N-no, I didn't..."

"I - "

"Haru! Why aren't you - oh! You're awake!"

A woman entered the hut just then, her sudden appearance slicing through the congealing tension in the little hut. Her slight form shifted nimbly through the cluttered pottery on the floor, making its way towards Kagome. She settled down before the younger girl in customary Japanese manner, feet tucked neatly under body and weathered brown hands folded across lap. 

"Good morning. Feeling any better, I hope?" The woman smiled with a twinkle in her black eyes, but her face looked worn and tired. Kagome suspected she was younger than she looked.

"Good morning. Yes, much better, thank you." Although Kagome really didn't have much of a clue what had happened before. 

"It's nice to see that you're ok." The woman smoothed a strand of Kagome's dishevelled hair from her face. "It was very strange...you were covered in blood. Haruki and I, we were terrified. But when we got closer, we found that there weren't any wounds at all. So we brought you in..."

The 'o' on Kagome's lips grew wider apart at the woman's words. Startling, needless to say. To come across a girl covered with blood was not a 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves' tale. "You didn't happen to see a man, did you?"

"A man?"

It was a rather odd question to ask, Kagome realised. If they had seen Hiten, would they even be sitting here? The thought was macabre, harsh, and yet she knew, it was reality. Her eyes steeled suddenly, a bright glint of determination. A firm resolve of prevention. Hiten would _not_ touch these two kind souls. 

"He's tall, around...this much more than me." She raised her arm high above her head and made a motion before dropping her hand, realising the redundancy of her gesture. She was, after all, still sitting on the ground. "Well...tall. You get the point. And...and he's got very long, black hair, tied in a queue." Well that was the best description she could come up with. What else could she say about Hiten...that he was a lightning blasting, face carving youkai on the loose? 

It was puzzling, in the very least. There were just too many blanks that had been punctured from her memory, too many questions that needed answers. Had hiten really brought her to this hut, to be found by the couple? Why was she covered in blood all over? And most importantly...did he really intend to release her? Somehow, she felt that there _had_ to be a catch somewhere.

"Well no...we didn't see any men around here." The woman leaned closer to Kagome, inspecting her face intently with furrowed brows. She tilted Kagome's head to the side and pushed the dark strands of hair over her shoulders. "There weren't any wounds on you, except for these two puncture marks on your neck...did this man have anything to do with it?"

Kagome touched her neck, sensitive fingertips running over soft flesh that were raised to a tiny crater. Hiten, she realised. the sick bastard...he's...he's a vampire?!

She choked on her sudden intake of air and coughed. Haruki and the woman jumped, startled by the loud whoop which Kagome let off. The reddened girl cleared her throat and gave an embarassed smile. "Well I have to go now. My...friend is looking for me. This hut is at the edge of the forest?"

"Yes." Haruki said. "The forest is...a bad place. Very bad. There are many things that you don't want to see in the forest." 

The sudden darkness which loomed over his young face troubled Kagome. She had remembered Hiten mentioning the 'pits of hell'. It couldn't just be an empty threat, could it? But then why were these nice people living here, if it really were so dangerous?

"Haru! Stop scaring the poor child." The older woman gave a firm slap on the boy's back with a disapproving frown. She turned back to Kagome. "Pardon, missus but you haven't told us your name."

"Oh! How rude of me...Kagome. Its Kagome."

***

Kagome waved the pair of wooden chopsticks in the air, an attempt to illustrate just one of many encounters with man-eating youkai, firmly undeterred by her mouthful of steamed rice. Coos of delight and shocked gasps peppered the conversation as her audience of two, listened with open-eared rapture.

The scene bore an uncanny resemblance to her family back home. Except this time, the wide dining table was replaced by a little square hearth, plates of udon noodles and sushi by simple dishes served in earthenware, and her family of three by the Haruki and his kindly mother. It seemed almost...magical. 

So here she found herself, all care and caution tossed skyward, if it was even for the moment. It didn't matter that the food was far from elaborate, and it didn't matter that Haruki sulked and retorted at every given chance. The meal was simple, yet it seemed one of the best she'd had in months. Trips to the Sengoku Jidai with Inuyasha were tipped with such constant peril and action that to just be indoors, surrounded by four secure walls and presented with a proper meal of rice, vegetable and meat seemed a luxury; to reccall tales of youkai and battles instead of actually fighting them, was something almost farout and surreal - the exact opposite of life in modern day Japan, ironically. 

The sudden blast of chilled air hit her in the middle of everything.

She stopped mid-motion, not bothering to conceal the half chewed food in her mouth, chopsticks hung forgotten in the air, suspended by stiffened fingers. She spun around, globed eyes fixated on the flapped door. Outside, the evening sky was lit up by a soft pink, but she paid scarce attention to the scenery. 

The ominous flare of youki was brief, but it was enough to drop her with a sickening thud into reality. Hiten. She was a disillusioned, dumb little nut, to even have left him out of the big picture, she cursed herself.

Both mother and son were looking at her with something akin to her sentiments. 

"Kagome? Is anything the matter?" The older woman asked, the wrinkles etched in her forehead deepening as her laughing mouth straightened. 

Haruki turned and frowned in the direction of Kagome's frozen gaze. "Something's out there, isn't it?" He said stoutly. "I knew it...ma!" 

"Yes. Something's wrong. I think I've just overstayed my visit." Kagome choked out, the grin she plastered onto her face wavering. She laid the halfeaten bowl of rice back onto the hearth, fumbling as she tried to place the pair of chopsticks beside it. She pushed herself up and gave a deep bow. "I got to go now. Really. Thank you both for all your help - " 

"And no thanks to me?" 

The lazy drawl was like a painful jolt of electricity up her spine. When he'd appeared, she didn't know. Didn't even bother to wonder about. All that raced through her mind was the safety of the two who sat perilously between her, and the silhouette of the thunder youkai before her, a black portrait of sinister horror.

"Get out now, Hiten. Please." 

"Why?" An overbearing air of toxin filled the room as he shifted his towering frame out of the shadows and into the murky light. He'd changed into a new outfit, she realised, his hair pulled back into a tight queue once again. The flickering firelight that caressed his sharp features did nothing to mellow them, only adding to his deadly beauty. 

The youkai crossed the hearth with a few graceful steps, disregarding the humans crouched behind as he closed in on Kagome. 

The abstract corner of her mind that remained untouched by crippling fear noted that he'd changed into a proper outfit. The petrified portion insisted that she ran, fast, together with both mother and son, cursing at herself for her stupidity and lack of caution. And the rational voice told her to reason it out with him. 

"I-I I'm just about to leave now, anyway. To - to look for you." _Hold on to his attention. Say something, anything. _"And well now that you've come back, I think we should be leaving. Wouldn't wan't to - " The chirpiness in her voice cracked, her words clipped and hoarse. She felt that she wouldn't be able to stand on both feet for much longer. 

"Wouldn't want to bother those two rodents who saved your life?" He continued, fangs gleaming brightly in the firelight, blood-red eyes crackling with electricity. But the youkai remained rooted like a steep mountain, settling back on his heels as he folded two massive arms across an armoured chest, head cocked to one side. "Well. You will have to beg me, then." 

Kagome shot a silent plea of desperation at the two cowering humans, crying out at them mentally to leave, flee for their lives, anything to escape. "What...how do you want me to beg?" _Go! Just GO!! _

And they did. 

Half crawling half scrambling, Haruki picked himself up and dragged his gaping mother along, scattering dishes and spilling all the contents in his haste to escape. 

But Hiten was faster. 

The breath of relief caught in her throat seconds later, when the two bodies toppled limply over the hearth, crashing with a sick crunch into the earthenware. Red splattered onto the white rice, and all was still.

Scorching tears burnt her eyes, fogged them as she tripped and stumbled blindly towards the empty shells, falling onto her knees before the lifeless bodies. She gagged instinctively as she reached a hand to cover her mouth. Their necks were twisted like the branches of an ancient tree, their bodies shrivelled up almost protectively against each other. But the worst was their eyes. Glazed, grey stones where once life had twinkled and laughed within.

"Kami," she choked on the bile that rose in her throat. Her tiny hand trembled uncontrollably as she placed them over the woman's clammy cheeks, and then Haruki's. "No...please tell me this is a dream." 

"Believe me, this is reality," the acid voice bit out impatiently behind her, fingers of iron and sizzling electricity already twining itself around her forearm. He snapped her to her feet, not bothering that she cried out with sudden pain. She struggled to regain her balance, Hiten's steel hold on her the only pivot point that supported her. "Get going, woman." 

"Stop - " Kagome thrashed wildly even as she got to her feet, uncaring where the blows of tiny fisted hands struck at, wanting only to free herself from the loathsome stranglehold on her arm. "Stop it, you beast! Cowardly bully!" 

"Be still!" It was a roar that would have commanded the dark fear he instilled so easily, but now, it only aggravated the crazed state of mind she was in. 

"No I will _not_ be still!" She cried and lashed out in a frenzied skirmish, unable to drag her tear-drenched eyes from the two bodies. "How could you?! You don't have the right...innocent lives are not yours to take and dispose of at your liking. Not...them!" 

"I will kill you too, if you continue this racket!" He clamped his other hand across her free arm and shook her with enough violence to crack her neck. The damned bitch was testing his patience. He didn't have time to play games. As much as he needed her abilities, there were always other alternatives besides her. 

If his threat didn't silence her, the massive headache at the base of her skull was enough. With a painful gasp, Kagome slackened and squeezed her eyes shut, chest heaving with the sheer physical exertion, hands braced against his iron grip. Her head rolled to the back, weighed by the forceful blow that he had dealt her, swirling in giddyness with the deaths too sudden for her to handle alone. 

"Just what..." pant "...do you want of me?" 

"I want my memory back." 

-end chapter 9-

* * *

**A/N:** OOk. Not much waff here either. I don't believe in pointless waff :-) Don't know if anyone has the terrible habit of skipping through OC parts (like me, sometimes), cos there's one big chunk of an OC scene back there. Hm. The point was to build the bond between Kagome and the two OCs, and then have Hiten shatter it completely. *laughs* I'm a baad author to have to explain my work T___T Hope you enjoyed!

**Review's Corner**

**[Laurelyn]** - Hey there! It was awfully sweet of you to drop me those reviews. I appreciate that with all my little heart and soul *hugz!* I'm glad you find Hiten sexy, but I really do hope that its because of my writing that you enjoyed the fic, and not just because of Hiten ^__^'' Hmm and about Kouga, maybe, just maybe. Though I don't really condone the use of many characters. I don't feel that I'm skilled enough to take up the challenge just yet V__V And thanks for supporting my cause =D

**[Jazzy]** - hope this wasn't a too long a wait =) A Hiten Jazzy pairing? *laughs* I would have to know more about you, if that's the case =) 

**[Kodokuchan]** - why thank you! Yea I do try consciously to put more attention into details. I believe its essential in story-writing. Helps alot in setting the mood too!

**[Kapt. Nemo]** - aww geee!! *blushes* i'm so flattered. Thank you! Yakuza might be on indefinite hold, though. I'm afraid things weren't going the way i planned. *sighs*

**[taiyoukai-kai]** - hey don't sweat it. Reviews aren't everything, but i must admit they certainly provide alot of encouragement (and prodding) for me to go on! But some of the best fics i've read don't necessarily have a large number of reviews. 

**[dumdeedum]** - biggest thanks to you for giving DT a shot! I liked it better than Yakuza too. I'm biased lol. And yea, i'm pretty against OOC writing, to be honest. Which is partly why i gave up on Yakuza. Thank you for the compliments!! They mean a whole lot to me ^____^ 

**[O2]** - Yea i wanted to leave it at chapter 5, but somehow there was just alot more waiting to be told, so i continued. I'm really thrilled that you found Hiten in character! Thanks a bunch :-D

**[Sailor Panda]** - well she didn't wake up in his arms after all ^_~ didn't want the story to be too predictable, ya noe. And yea, i agree. Living with Hiten would be twice the hell i've been putting Kagome through, sad to say T__T 

**[Ms.Videl Son]** -waaiii *big hugz!* thank you babes!! here's a toast to one of my bestest reviewer!! Thank you for sticking with me all throughout, ever since the beginning!! 

**[Massao-na-Mizu]** - wow that's such a compliment...thanks! and yes, Hiten was resurrected ~__~ SHH!!

**[Jinx]** - hey! Smashing pumpkins played a pretty big part in setting the mood! their lyrics were just so perfect. not sure if anyone finds the paragraph i chose fiting, but it describes DT perfectly. 

**[aoko]** *glomps back* thanks *grins* i love angst and sweetness all rolled into one. 

**[MysticMoon]** - thanks for understanding dear! and good luck with your writer's block. they do suck big time =\ 

**[Cin of an Angel]** - big shoutout to u too! *Glomps and refuses to let go* for supporting me all throughout ^___^ luv ya!!

**[cappie]** - wow that was awesome of you to say, about Kagome :-) thanks!! just the encouragement i needed to go on. 

**[Chik of Hiei]** - aww *flattered* 

**[Sulia Serafine]** - thank you so much!!

**[Black Rose Lady]** - sweet!! i'm glad you think that way =D thank you muchly!!

**[Celtic*Kokoro*Knight]** - hey give your talents a chance, why don't you :-) write it out and let me know!! i'll be sure to shower you with reviews ^ ^

**[Mandaleigh]** - here's another update for ya! Yea i hate bugs too. ugh.

**[amarome]** - ahhh you flatterer, you :-D

**[Elsie]** - yea my sentiments exactly ^_____^ i love portraying bad-boys, precisely because of that. it makes everything so much sweeter, in the end. 

**[kokonutsu]** - Thank you!! *blushes* what don't you understand about the flies though? Care to elaborate on it? i noe i can be pretty hazy at times. thanks for letting me noe! 

**[Iseult]** - gah *punches* ^___^ your review was awesome as usual, and wonderfully insightful. just makes me wanna write more! thank you! 

**[Kagura]** - that's great, ya noe!! its one of the best things you could say to a writer :-D we would love for our fics to be remembered by all. and yea, hopefully i WILL be updating faster. reviews like yours just make me feel a nice tingle of satisfaction and drive ^___^

**[IceWind]** - thanks hon :-D and no i don't use a spell check, actually lolz. i'm sure there're plenty of little glaring mistakes just waiting to be picked up O__o but yea, i do make it a point to run through my work to check for errors!! and its TOTALLY fun to make jerks fall in love!! I am SO addicted to writing about hiten XD

**[Black Rose Lady]** - no problem dear. and 'birthday suit' refers to being in the nude. i think it gave rise from the emperor's new clothes =\ hope i'm not mistaken ^__^; 

**[Misori-Chan]** - *grinz* Thank you :-D

**[lynnxlady]** - hi there! gee that was so sweet of you!! i'm really glad you think so. Thanks a whole bunch hon!!!

**[Matoko Shizaki] **- *laughs* that's a relief! 

**[Mistress-Pen]** - oh no ;___; i didn't mean for it to be a relationship born of pure lust. But thanks for the warning!! i'll be sure to steer clear away from that in future! 

  
**To the rest of you kindly folks, here's a huge hugz for being such wonderful dears!!! I love you all ^__________^ Reviews were greatly appreciated and treasured, as always :-D!!!!**


	10. Yuri

**03.06.03 **(wow nice date XD)

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reijuu brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to develop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

**A/N**: Don't you just love writing these?:-) I enjoy communicating with my readers! Wish someone would email me to chat though! *hint hint* Anyone feels that my stories are starting to take on abit of gore? Well I think I did mention that this is a dark story, didn't I? O_______o'   
  
Wow. I didn't realise there would be such an 'uproar', about me well basically killing-off Haruki and his mom. Trust me, I do have a reason for doing so, and I believe that reason shall be presented in this chapter :-) As it was, I did take careful care in writing that scene, enough for Kagome to form an emotional bond with them, and yet not enough to really look into the two characters and see their _real_, inner thoughts. *ehem* 

***edit - 05.06.03*** Ok just a clarification. I had meant to explain why Hiten did what he did, but it will only be appearing in the next chapter, so my apologies for that ^_^ And on a side note, thanks to **shinacira**. It was a _yukata_ and not a katana. God, that was kinda embarassing, considering my heritage lol. My mom keeps saying I'm too mixed up with my languages. But thanks again =)  


* * *

**Yuri **- The wondering spirits of the dead. 

**Yukata** - A summer kimono that is worn on a more casual basis than the traditional kimono.

* * *

**  
Distant Thunder   
(PART II)  
**By: cacat-angel

  
_it's you that I adore   
you'll always be my whore   
you'll be the mother to my child   
and a child to my heart   
we must never be apart  
__  
Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore_  
  


**  
chapter 10: **Yuri

"You what?!"

Six pairs of incredulous eyes fixated themselves onto the wretched hanyou they had prodded and poked and conveniently backed into a corner of Kaede's hut. 

"Kidnapped right in front of his nose..."

"We should have been there! You dingy - "

"Not now, Shippou." Miroku's voice rang out above the din with quiet authority, a golden brown hand laid atop the little kitsune's bristling head. He bent down and whispered into the kit's ears, pulling him away from the hanyou gently. "Look. He's feeling just as bad as you are."

Sango turned a pair of pondering black eyes onto Inuyasha's face. In the frenzy of the moment, she hadn't noticed the hanyou's uncharacteristic silence, until Miroku's soft comment. She was surprised she even missed it. Large eyes which were normally a fierce burning gold, were now muted and glazed over. Pale lips stretched taut into a grim line, and even the hanyou's pointed ears drooped weakly. 

If she didn't know better, she would have proclaimed Inuyasha sick with worry. 

"But still, he shouldn't have!" Shippou fumed, refusing to back down. He danced frantically on little black paws in an attempt to get closer despite Miroku's restraining hand. "He - "

"Sorry." 

All time froze. The seconds ticked away into minutes, and it seemed almost a lifetime before breathing was heard again. 

"Miroku...did he just say..."

"Yes. I'm afraid he did." 

"Ohh. I think I'm going to faint!" 

Inuyasha threw an impatient glare at the ridiculous expression on the kitsune's scrunched up face. "Shut up, little whelp. Just be glad you've lived to hear it." He looked up at the two, and it was as if the spark in his eyes crackled brighter than before. "I'm getting her back."

***

The trauma from actually witnessing Hiten's ruthless slaughter, had settled into a bleak, muddy blanket in her mind, coated with layers of anger, doubt and sadness. 

Kagome thumped the back of her head softly against the wall she leaned against, diluted brown eyes focused on nowhere in particular. The blows were cushioned by her thick crown of hair, but the force was enough to leave a faint thudding echo in her mind's ears. The pair of dirt smudged legs stretched out before her on the ground, and hands, bruised and aching with the earlier damage they had attempted to cause but failed, lay uncaring at her side. 

Her vision was blurred, her thoughts felt as if they were shaded by an impenetrable screen of gray. The sharp change in situation forced her to reconsider the false lull of security just moments ago. In fact, it had seemed almost surreal - it was too good to be true, and more likely than not, it wasn't true. Or at least, it had been shattered. Cruelly shattered.

She felt another sob wreck through her weak chest. Her throat constricted with forced inhalation of air, and she let out a smattering breath, eyes fluttering shut, as darkness blanketed her in a restless shroud. 

***

The tall youkai stood just a few feet away, watching the girl. The distance he had so graciously allowed between the both of them was enough for him to observe the girl, and still remind her of his guarded presence. She would be able to sense him. He knew she could, somewhere along the way. 

His lips were pulled downwards at the vision of despair and sorrow that sprawled before him, taking it in with bloodless, impassive eyes, carefully masked behind a shroud of fiery crimson. 

The transformation was nothing short of intriguing. 

He'd manhandled her from inside the hut as she kicked and screamed, dragging her out into the yard and then throwing her onto the ground. She'd sobbed like a widowed youkai who had just lost an entire clan, ramming her tiny fists against her eyeballs so hard, he was afraid she might gorge them blind before he did so himself. And then she'd quietened down somehow, crawling on grazed knees and palms to the nearest wall of the hut, all the while letting out staccatos of loud, shuddering gasps, uncaring that her pathetic countenance seemed like a wretched mutt - which was no wonder, considering the company he'd found her with at the start. 

Finally she'd slumped against the nearest wall where she now lay, reduced to nothing more then a vacuous doll of porcelain and flesh and reeking of moldy bones. 

Disgusting to say the least, but rather interesting. 

All this, just because he'd sent a couple of worthless souls on the way to their well-deserved path?

Dry vegetation crackled beneath his clothed feet as impatience twitched angrily within him. He knelt on one knee and lowered himself, hunching his back. . With thumb and forefinger, he gripped her pointed chin, allowing vicious black claws to create crescent-moon dents in that tender flesh of hers. Roughly, the fingers lifted Kagome's face to meet his. Pallid, glazed eyes met his gaze and amazingly, it was Hiten who flinched first. 

Large brown orbs which were normally expressive, flashing one moment with rapture and the next, defiance, suddenly seemed disturbingly empty and foreign to the youkai. He shrugged off the abrupt sensation of unease with repulsion, dark brows pulling themselves together in a black scowl. 

"Just what are you playing at." The grinded out words were not a question, but a demand. 

No reply. 

He felt a wild surge of angry youki through his body, a throbbing flash of red that made his breath harsher and the rumbling growl deep within his chest louder. His lips peeled back in a snarl, and he could feel the sharp push of extending canines against the flesh. "You will cease this nonsense _now, _woman. I am getting tired of your game."

***

_Oh, just go away and leave me alone._

Kagome blinked, pointedly ignoring the annoying voice that knocked itself about in her head. 

"...playing at."

_Playing? Whoever said I'm playing? Do I look like I'm playing? _She gnashed her eyelids painfully together, wishing that the horrid chains would release their hold against her legs and arms, and her mind, while they were at it. Of course she_ was _aware that the chains were illusions, but couldn't a girl humor herself around here? 

"...cease this nonsense now..." 

_Alright, enough already! Just...give me a hand here instead of..._

Her mental wish was granted as she felt herself being hauled literally to her feet. The little bubble around Kagome burst, and she plunged at breakneck speed to consciousness. 

Darn. 

She collided against reality with a sharp jolt. Her senses hurtled towards her, efficiently unwinding the mental chains that bound her with triumph. Leaden legs quivered and near collapsed with the sudden return of sensation, almost as if she had been bedridden for a couple of years. 

"Wha...huh?"

It took her at least a couple of minutes, before she recognized that the wall which rose and fell violently before her was a wall of flesh, and even an even longer period before she realized it was somebody's exposed and admittedly toned chest she was staring at, complete with defined collarbones and a sculpted Adam's apple that bobbed tantalizingly. She raised her dazed vision further up, passing curved lips which would have put Takuya Kimura to shame, and then locking with the most intense, crimson gaze she'd ever encountered. 

"I think I'm feeling a little woozy here..."

***

He cursed vehemently, suppressing the rabid urge to snap that thin arm of hers to serve as future warning. Anger boiled and steamed within him, even as he held the bewildered girl upright by a deathgrip on her arms. Granted it did help bring her to her senses, but he found himself thoroughly disgusted with the newfound tolerance he had apparently unearthed. The wench was simply having it too easy for her. 

The weak little fool he held in his arms seemed be rousing herself subsequently. He clenched his teeth, feeling the muscles work themselves in his jaw. But still, his eyes fixated themselves to the dark crown that he held against his chest. He swallowed as his fingers tilted her head back slowly, allowing strands of black to part, unveiling that tiny face of hers. He watched unmoving, strangely drawn to dark lashes that flickered against reddened skin and white cheekbones, the swell of parted, washed out lips that trembled with incoherent mutterings. He watched silently, as the lashes fluttered open, revealing disoriented pools of shimmering brown. 

"...a little woozy here..." 

He started at the warning growl within his chest which rose instinctively, ripping his gaze from those goddamned eyes of hers. His fingers had a sudden itch in them and a blazing urge to destroy something; anything. The doll he held would have sufficed, had he not needed her miko abilities, he convinced himself with somewhat more agitation then was necessary. 

"You're wasting my time, fool," he hissed between gritted teeth. Without waiting for the wench to gather her thoughts and gain balance, he released her violently, the action causing her to stumble and crash against the wall. By the seven hells, the little witch would hardly last for a few minutes under ordinary circumstances. She would have been torn apart slowly, limb by pathetic limb...

Her sharp cry broke through his fantasies and he eyed her warily.

***

Her moment of delirium passed, frightful verity presenting itself on a platter before her. Her breath accelerated and her heart drummed wildly. With a shaking hand, she pressed against her chest, seeking desperately to calm herself, ordering her faltering legs to get a grip of themselves. The thunder youkai stood still as a statue before her, save for the burning amber in his slit eyes, a fire that jumped and leaped, threatening to burn her alive and consume her if she so much as dared a glance more. 

She shook her head, clearing the startling image of those eyes from just moments before. She had thought them to be the most beautiful color she'd seen. But now, they were just frightful and animalistically brutal. 

The pain that seized her heart was now dwindling to a numbing buzz, but she knew that the scene would be carved savagely into her mind forever. Or at least, until the moment her existence ceased, most probably at the hands of this beast. The swollen lump at the back of her throat, the flashes of the cruel massacre Hiten had carried out, the burning within her eyes, all served as a screaming reminder of what had happened. 

But Kagome rubbed vigorously at her eyes and gave a forced smile. Trembling and feverish, but still a smile, nonetheless. 

She refused to allow the youkai the further victory of her defeat, refused to bow down to his tyranny and that smothering diabolism that threatened to swallow her whole. Whatever his reasons for keeping her, he could shove it. And whatever torture he insisted on inflicting on her and anyone else around them, she was dead certain would be thrown back at him double, and more. If not by her hands, then by a being greater and more powerful than him. 

She took a step away from the wall, then another, chin held high and back as straight as she could manage. 

She would last out until the day Inuyasha returned for her. This she swore upon Kami above. 

***

He observed the girl with grim silence as she inched towards him. 

The upward curve of her lips had surprised him considerably, her slow but increasingly stable step had amused him to no end. But it was the sheer determination and drive in those eyes that stunned him. It was the glowing fire of _life_, in those huge, haunting eyes, that seemed to captivate the youkai and hold him entranced for more than a few moments. 

Even as she walked closer, the unsteady, awkward gait of hers was slowly transforming into a grace that almost defied her youthful, albeit haggard appearance. The sudden spellbinding vision of a young, fearless goddess struck him. Then as quickly as it had appeared, she was once again the mortal woman-child. Collected and definitely more stable in mind than before, but still a pathetic human that hobbled and limped clumsily no matter how proudly she held, or attempted to hold herself.

He spat on the ground and flicked an imaginary piece of dust from the dark green tunic he wore, waiting for the wench to make her way before him. 

***

The thunder youkai was at ease. Eerily quiet and serene, she realised, stopping short in front of him. The firm resolve she held in her almost seemed to melt with the infernal fire that raged in those red eyes of his. A flame which contrasted sharply with the ice-cold expression on his angular face and the seemingly calm stance that he took on - legs apart and weight leaned on one hip, arms folded casually across his chest. And kami. No amount of confrontation would _ever_ ready her for the brunt of his full height. The outright difference in their body mass alone was cause for intimidation, youkai or not. It was difficult facing off a man well over six feet height without any amount of fear, not especially when you were a schoolgirl barely coming to his chin, and not especially when he was a murderous, demonic villain in the true sense of the word. 

Still, she tilted her face towards his, praying to kami that her body did not betray the screaming trepidation which cried out for release, begging her to just escape. But she couldn't, and she knew it. She had to confront her fear. 

The faltering rays of the evening sun dipped into the horizon behind youkai and girl until they were a dark, melded silhouette against a backdrop of wondrous colours. Bamboo sprouted around the courtyard as the faint dusky mist came creeping in, surrounding the two roughened forms which faced off - the smaller one a slender willowy statue stiffened and guarded, the other a towering pillar of supernatural grace and demonic strength. 

The youkai spoke first, a mellow, soothing tone that trailed chilling fingers of apprehension down Kagome's back. 

"Is it a deal that we have, woman." Again a cold demand that allowed no defiance, a viciousness masked by the melodious voice he had taken on.

"Wh-what's in it for me?" Kagome asked, cursing her stammering tongue for the worldliness it lacked. Compared to Hiten, she seemed as threatening as a lizard. Which, of course, she probably was, in his eyes. Great. So much for being determined. 

"Your life, or nothing." 

Kagome blinked. That was a good one. "Well I - " 

She was interrupted by the sudden shadow that was cast overhead. She looked around in surprise, completely unaware of the change in the surrounding that had taken place during their little face-off. 

Gone was the glorious sunset which she had noticed briefly not long ago, and in place of the magnificent hues of pink and gold, were ominous black clouds that loomed overhead, blocking out any inch of moonlight that should have entered. At least, judging from the sudden darkness in the sky, there _should_ have been a moon somewhere. The courtyard had dimmed to a gloomy shade of muted green and black, the bamboo grove behind warped by the lack of light, or something she didn't want to think about. 

Even as she watched, the courtyard around her seemed to be _shifting _in shape. 

As she turned to look at Hiten, the befuddled girl saw that the neat little rocks that had ran over the parameter of the bamboo grove had been strangely transformed into slimey, algae covered stones and boulders which were scattered in a disorderly mess. The little shrine in a corner, a holy artifact which should have been dedicated to the kami-sama, had disintegrated into a rubble of broken-down marble, yellowed with age, the kami-sama statuette sitting within stained with rust and covered by moss and creeping vines. The air rippled, and stretched shimmering with some sort of unseen force. And then, it took on a sudden vileness - so stifling and black, Kagome had to withhold the sudden urge to retch. 

"What in hells is going on," she breathed with growing horror, her head whirling in perturbation as she looked around in a fluster. Her feet caught and she tripped, saved from kissing the ground only by the same grip of steel which had bruised her tender forearm. 

He remained silent as Kagome wrenched away from his grasp, spinning around only to find that the neat little hut had indeed, taken on the same dilapidate state as the miasmic yard. A pungent stench wafted into her nose and she clamped it tightly shut with one hand, clutching with clumsy, frantic fingers at the nearest object she could reach - Hiten's tunic. 

"What id blazes is happening?!" She yelped. 

Already, a mysterious wind was stirring from the ground, blowing cold, dark vapour into her face. Her hair billowed in a crazed dance around her face, whipping at her skin with the sudden force of the upheaval; the damp yukata she had on knurling together in the air currents, painful lashes of cloth against her flesh. 

Then came a thousand whisperings. Invisible beings carried through the horrible freezing winds, moaning and groaning their gusty sighs that grew in intensity till it echoed into a shrill voice that was whole with the wind. The violent gusts grew rapidly in magnitude together with the maniacal howl, swirling with a rhythm of its own evil nature, so noxious in its strength that it seemed to be on the verge of blowing her right off her feet. 

It was a massive coalition of _yuri_, she finally realised. Hundreds upon thousands of agonised spirits of the dead, all gathered in one gigantic, supernatural tempest. 

She could scarce hear the cries of her own petrified mind admist the screamings and plaintive wailing, as the spectral wind blasted current after current of bone-chilling air towards her. And she certainly didn't want to wait to see what happened next. So she did the only thing that came to mind and seemed to make sense at the moment.   


She sputtered as she attempted to hold her breath, latching herself tightly against the tall, rock-solid body that stood beside her. Eyes shut against the spitting wind and strands of hair, head tucked tightly against the arm, she held onto it like it was a safety buoy, forgetting in momentary chaos _who's_ body it belonged to. All that registered in her panicked state of disarray, was the immense wave of quiet power, and the reassuring confidence that her solid pillar of protection seemed to be radiating. 

In her subconscious mind - the one that wasn't in danger of being buried alive by the sheer encompassing pressure of the yuri - she felt a strong arm reach around her body. It encircled her thin shoulders firmly, dragging her out of the turbulence and into its warm embrace, physically sheltering her from the tumultuous maelstrom that had threatened to whip her into cream and paste.

_Hiten. _It suddenly hit her, amidst the confusion. _Its_..._hiten??_

She could barely make out the low grunt that was uttered from behind, before she was shoved forward violently together with the body that pressed behind her back; but the arm steadied her in time, all the while shielding her from the full brunt of the unrested spirits that swirled madly around them.

"Where are we going?!" Kagome's muffled shriek cried out through the bellowing ruckus that surrounded the two, her face pressed against the muscled wall at her back. 

The arm gripped her tightly but its owner said nothing. A large hand descended on her head and half covered the side of her wind-bitten face as it held her closer, finally blocking out the hurtling currents that lashed against her cheeks and eyes. She sighed and huddled closer to the body as she was slowly but steadily guided forward. 

Hiten or not, this was definitely safer than she had expected. 

-end chapter 10-  


* * *

**A/N**: And that's that. So how was it? Do let me know what you think, and if there's anything you find remotely strange, inconsistent or just...unhappy with!   
  
Well I included a little something, did ya notice? I find it pretty sweet, personally. Its just so fun to get into Hiten's head and mess around with his thoughts *grinz* So _now_ you know more or less what's going on inside that big guy. Well sadly, that's just half the story. It would take much more than that to understand how his clock ticks, I'm pretty sure of that. But I sure hope I handled it without being inconsistent with his character. Of course, a little more explaining in the next chappie. 

Btw!  **Lynxxlady** very kindly pointed out in an email about the third limited and third omniscent voices I have been using. I didn't realise anyone noticed, but now that she mentioned it, I think I'd better clear it up a little. I've been having a pretty _damned_ difficult time juggling those two voices, so please bear with me if you spot any inconsistencies in voice!!   
  
Special thanks once again to **Iseult**my dear email pal, for sparing precious time to beta-read for me, and **lynxxlady**for being so cool to give me her views on my chapters!!

Oh hey, feel free to email me if you wanna chat about my fics, your fics, or anything else!! My mailbox is always open (cacat_angel@kichimail.com). Hmm. I always ask, but no one seems to be chatting with me =( *sobz*  


**Review's Corner**

**[Iseult] - **that was an awesome beta-read/review dood!! Thanks so much for taking time out just to beta my fic. I do know how busy you can get, for a fact ^__^ Well yes, I did mean for the word to be 'pant' *grinz* I was just too lazy to add the 'she panted' tag, so I just short-cutted and...that's what came out. I know..lazy author *laughs* Woah dood. Don't get so worked up about the family part, kay? ^__^ I'll explain more of it in the next chapter. I did make sure not to include the two OC's pov. If you read through the chapter again, you'll notice that I actually used the third limited voice, so that I'm able to go in the direction that there's more to those OCs than it seems. Ah the ending of chapter eight. Yep its not entirely waff :-) My waff standards are *way* waffier than that *grinz* And lastly about the enchantment part? Well. That shall be revealed in future chapters as well ^__^ I make it a point not to add in irrelevant plotlines, but if you come across any, meaning the loose ends I forgot/have yet to tie, do let me know =D Well once again thanks a milliion billion gazillion, so to quote!! Mighty glad, really ^____^ . peace out! \m// 

**[Kodokuchan] **- that's very observant of you!! *rewards with hiten plushies* He did 'change', as a manner of speaking. More of it to come later ^__^ And hmm...grumpy? That would be SOOO Inuyasha. Adorable!! 

**[Ms.Videl Son]** - you would take me off in a year or two? Gasp! *clutches heart* lol just kiddin ya. Glad you find Kags and Hiten in-character! As for Inu, I am trying to make amends .

**[Oneiropolos]** - dood, you are so totally spot on XD Thank you bunches!!!! I really appreciate that you can see it that way. I am definitely wary of warping his character for the sake of waff. I am completely for staying In-character. And yea! I hope everyone else realise that he's as cruel as he's 'sexy' too ^__^'' Thank you!!

**[Cin of an Angel]** - Aww that's so swet of you! Thankies =D Hiten didn't exactly soften. But even I have difficulty understanding what really goes on in his strange mind *winks* 

**[Chik of Hiei]** - *blushes* Oh flattery. But it's got me grinning like a fool nonetheless! Hugz! Thanks!

**[Mandypanchan]** - oh don't kick the poor boy. He's had it pretty rough recently ^___^ And after all, he _did_ save Kagome, and more than just once, too! 

**[Black Rose Lady] **- thank you so muchly!!! I love your reviews =D I'm pretty much against rushing too, unless there's really a valid reason for doing so, like say a sort of wham-bang-whirlwind romance kind of thing. Hmm I'll say...they're gonna 'get together' in another 2 or 3 chappies. In fact I'm already trying to get a little _something _ started between the both of them. Just pray that I'm still staying in character though. It's gonna be tough when they really do so X|

**[Massao-na-Mizu]** - oh no, I think I won't be getting to Yakuza for quite awhile, sad to say =( Totally lost the feel for it. Sigh. I think I'll have to pick it up someday and do a _major_ revamp. But thanks anyway, and I'm just so flattered :-) Thanks alot, sweet chica *grinz* Oh and on a sidenote, I'm so reliefed that you weren't offended by my review ^__^ 

**[Kagura]** - I'm sorry about that =( But things aren't really quite what they seem, honest!

**[laurelyn]** - thank you dear ^__^ You're such a sweet (and pretty!) girl!! Thanks ^_^ And Kagome slapping in his sleep? LOL! That's so...cute!! *cracks up picturing it in mind* I might just add it as some spoof or something *grinz* And sorry babes, I haven't been a Kouga fan, so I don't have any links =( You might check out Thunk though, if you haven't already. She's got a pretty good one out. And yea hehe its kinda like Beauty and the Best in a sense. Hiten is much less refined than Kagome, and I made him bulkier in build than most of the characters too! 

**[Mistress-Pen]** - phew. Thanks. Its mighty exhausting just thinking up those twists and turns =\ But I try my best to stay away from cliches, hence the twists. 

**[lynnxlady]** - redeem him? welll not exactly . But there's more to the situation than meets the eye. I'm so excited to get started! Hope I won't disappoint though, after all my 'its not what it seems' claims Lol. And thank you. I will try to keep up the trend. Oh and once again, thanks muchly for your help!!! *winks*

**[Jazzy] **- I'm sorry hun, don't think I've got the time =( But if you want, you could send me some sort of personal data of yours, (appearance, character and all) and I'll see what I can cook up, kay :-) Hmm hope this is enough waff for now. 

**[Sailor Panda]** - yeap it will definitely be tough building their relationship. That's the challenge I'm looking forward to :=D Thanks!

**[kokonutsu]** - Hehe the description was pretty on-the-spot =p But thanks for your reminder about the ending. I'll see if I can fix it just yet ^__^

**[Hakuyoukai]** - O__o that sounds familiar lolz. 

**[SimplyTurquoise]** - sorry babes, but no romantic scenes until I've got those two sorted out properly. Like I said, I don't do pointless waff :-D 

**[dumdeedum]** - you really find him complex?? *squeals* I'm so thrilled!! Gosh, thank you so much ^___^

**[TalonKarrde]** - and thank you tons for your insightful review =D It is pretty refreshing to write too. Much less restrictions! 

  
**As always, huge thanks and hugs to the brilliant dears who've reviewed and made my day so fun! I honestly look forward to reading them, over and over and over and over....*ehem* THank you!!! 


	11. Skeletons In My Closet

**20.06.03**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reijuu brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to develop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

**A/N**: I had a review regarding the usage of 'Kami', so I thought I'd better clear it up now. 'Kami' here does _not_ refer to the Christian God. Rather, it is a collective number of entities in the Shinto religion. As for the usage of His name, or rather 'Kami' in vain. Well Ok I'll deal low this time. There are about a thousand fics out there who use 'Kami'. There are a hundred people with 'Kami' in their names. 'Kami' was, to quote Ms. Videl Son, a wrinkly, green guy in DBZ. By golly, if Kami=God, then FFN would turn into a site of blasphemy by now. I usually stay very clear away from religious issues, understanding how sensitive it is. But accusing me of using God's name in vain is rather unfair. 1. That's _not_ God I'm referring to. 2. People do curse, it is inevitable. As it is, I did try avoiding it to the best extent I could. 

On a further note, this is a chapter which reveals a number of things people have been asking me about. I would suggest you read through it thoroughly, instead of asking me. That's a rather lazy way of finding out. Thank you :-)   


* * *

**Yuri **- The wandering spirits of the dead. 

**Yukata** - A summer kimono that is worn on a more casual basis than the traditional kimono.

**Kami** - A collective number of entities in the Shinto religion

* * *

**  
Distant Thunder   
(PART II)  
**By: cacat-angel

  
_it's you that I adore   
you'll always be my whore   
you'll be the mother to my child   
and a child to my heart   
we must never be apart  
__  
Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore_  
  


**chapter 11: ** Skeletons In My Closet

The two forms collapsed through the rotting flap, near tearing it down with their velocity, and crumbled into a yelping, cussing heap on the floor. They disentangled themselves and bolted apart; rather, Kagome rolled a good distance away while Hiten picked himself up, foul-tempered, and settled down in as far a corner as he could get. 

Before Kagome could assemble herself, the malady of the room had seized her by the head with mental claws. The dark room shook and rattled furiously, while stray beams of youki illuminated the black, cobwebbed corners. It seemed as if a storm had swept through the interior of the hut decades and decades ago - smashed windows and chipped cupboards; bundles of straw tossed and dishevelled; smashed pottery that littered the dusty ground.

But it wasn't actually the ghastly state of the hut, so much as the twin piles of bones strewn upon the hearth.

Parted lips ashen and eyes large with fear, Kagome approached with careful steps towards the skeletal remnants, all signs of the yuri forgotten, the thunder youkai cast to the back of her mind. _How? It's impossible! We were just gone for a few moments and...now this? _Her thin legs quaked and her breath caught, almost in anticipation. Almost as if she'd expect the bones to leap to life, the minute she neared them. But they didn't. 

In a daze, Kagome paused at the edge of the crusty mat which covered the hearth, then fell to her knees with a solid 'thump'. She bit down on her waxen lips as she leaned forward, bracing her weight with cold, sweat-coated palms. Angry, liquid beads formed at the base of her eyes. She bowed her head. 

"You...were the cause of all this, weren't you?" She bit out, fingers clenched painfully around the straw mat. Her voice was muffled, but the accusation resounded clearly within the hut. 

His answer was simple, careless, at first. 

"Surely you flatter me." He shadowed her with his hulking form in an instant, crouched against her side. She stiffened, motionless. "I possess no such witchcraft, alas." 

Kagome scuttled backwards and let out a sharp yelp of surprise. "You tell me then. Just what..." Her voice faltered, and suddenly, she wasn't as confident as she had been. 

"Do not accuse me wench, of crimes I never committed. It is not appreciated." 

His livid snarl should have served as warning enough for her to remain silent, but she refused to be intimidated. The situation didn't allow for her to chicken out, yet. "Let me just tick off the history list, and let's see if you are credible, shall I?" She said, voice shrill and lips taut. 

_But he saved you just moments ago, didn't he?_

She paused at the realisation - how quick she had been to forget. She realised then how much easier it was, to remember misdeeds, rather than favours...

Then she seemed to deflate, narrow shoulders shuddering visibly as she wrapped her arms around her knees, back towards the youkai. "I...I'm sorry. It's just...yea. It might not be your fault, after all. I should have realised it, huh."

He said nothing, but she could feel the burn of his gaze boring a hole through her. 

She retreated further into her shell. Suddenly, the skeletons were too unbearable to look at, the burden of the two lives that were lost, too heavy for her young heart. "I'm exhausted, Hiten. Worn out, really." She gave a pained laugh, refusing to allow the hot moisture its escape from beneath her lids. "Everything is taking its toil on me..." She paused, searching for the right words to continue, then gave up. "But I don't expect you'd understand that. I'm just confused..." 

She got to her feet weakly, eyes searching the room. "The least I could do is give them a decent burial for - "

"They are not human." 

"Wha - ?" Just what did he mean? Not human? _Not human?!_

She whirled around to face the youkai, who looked up and met her with his own intense, red gaze, a wild, albeit lopisded grin hanging on his shadowed face."I beg your _pardon_?" Then she did something she had never thought she would dare to do. She stormed up towards him, leaned into his face and prodded his chest with her finger. 

"You don't - " prod "have the least bit - " prod "of respect in those bones of...in you, don't you?"

She was seething now, piqued to the point of oblivion towards the deathwish she had just made - and the cage of steel fingers that trapped her own. She tugged at her hand furiously, fully intending to continue with her admonishments, but was stopped instead by the shattering pressure applied around her wrist. She winced. The pain was serving as reminder for her position which she stood, doubtless. 

"They never were human, wench. I gave you too much credit, to believe you were smarter than this." He spat, his lips half peeled back into a snarl, and half of the grin he had on earlier. His breath was hot against her skin. Clawed fingers closed mercilessly around soft flesh, creating indents in her palid cheeks as he pulled her face towards his. "Do not insinuate that I lie, human. I have no need for such unneccessities." 

Her lips trembled with unspeakable words - his tight grip around her cheeks forced her to remain silent. All she could do was glare, and glare she did with all her might. 

But then again, Hiten always did have the knack for the unexpected, she had started to realise. And unexpected, was an the least she could use to describe his next move. 

For the first time ever since she'd met him, the youkai hesitated; glowing amber eyes lost their ferocious diabolism, and the deep, commanding voice softened. He loosened his grip on her wrist and face slowly, and she seized the opportunity to put ample distance between the both. 

"We won't be getting out of this place, for quite awhile." He looked up at her, his expression obscure, but serious.

"What exactly do you mean, we won't be getting out of this place?" She asked, settling down before strangely pensive youkai. Frankly, it frightened her almost as much as when he got angry. 

She was met with silence. 

She turned back towards the youkai. His muscular, cloth-covered forearms were supported on his raised knees, roughened fingers clasped together, hooded eyes staring ahead. Now this, was certainly a kodak moment. They weren't killing each other - at least _he_ wasn't trying to kill her, and he was actually _not _being being sarcastic, or insulting her, for that matter. Was this an actual conversation she sensed?

"I told you, it's an enchantment," he flicked his queue impatiently over his broad shoulders. "If you didn't quite catch me the first time round."

"Yes, I know it's an enchant - wait a min...woah." The schoolgirl straightened her back suddenly, daring herself to peer closer at Hiten's unreadable face. "You don't mean to say that...you mean..._you_ didn't cause the enchantment? It wasn't done by you after all? "

She cast a thoughtful gaze towards the scattered bones on the hearth, as new light seemed to shed upon her, slowly. And yes, his earlier claim did make sense. He had been with her the whole while, and frankly, just what good would it do to him, reducing the poor humans to skeletons? He certainly didn't come across as one who would make unnecessary moves. It just hadn't occured to her in her state of agitation, but now she was getting increasingly nervous about her lack of judgement. 

Were they really, as what he had said, not human, to begin with? 

She lowered her head almost apologetically. Coincidence, or not, it seemed that every time Hiten commited something seemingly...heinous, the tables seemed to turn, so that he atoned for it, somehow. 

Could he actually be speaking the truth? 

"You seem to have cast me into the role of the sorcerer. I assure you, woman. I have no such ability."

Now this, was a new revelation. It had never really occured to Kagome that Hiten was solely a creature of brute strength and nothing more, until now - she'd assumed all along, that he was just as capable of the dark arts of magic, for some reason. She supposed it was just the sneaky feeling that Hiten had_ changed_, somehow, ever since their second encounter. 

It was actually rather obvious, in fact, come to think of it now. He _did_ change, and in more ways than just one. 

During their brief 'reunion', she'd observed just how coldly intelligent, and even shrewd, he'd become. How he seemed more calm and collected, when he would have exploded into a terrible fury in the past. Shrewd. Calculative. Where the strange fire that burned in his eyes now appeared more to be more of a demonic intelligence, than purely that of an animal, as it had used to be. 

In fact, she would almost have compared him with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's enigmatic half-brother. 

Except that this demon had such a heavy smokescreen of...ambiguity surrounding him. And of danger, unpredictibility. And then, there were more than just one or two layers...there were dozens of it - complexities in his character that she had never realised were present before. There were just so many facets to the him, something she'd never thought was actually possible with youkai. Even now, as he seemed to focus on nothing in particular. She studied the demon, more than just a little intrigued by yet another strange, new side of his. 

Was it just her, or did something happen to him, during his period of absence; something that he didn't...remember?

"Well then. At least get us out of here, don't you think? This place is well...giving me the creeps." 

"It will not be as simple, I am sorry to announce." 

Kagome's eyes narrowed skeptically at him. He certainly didn't sound the least bit apologetic. "Surely it wouldn't be that difficult retracing our steps, oh mighty youkai."

"Do you not think I would have done so, had it been possible?" 

She shrugged, her school-girlish attempt at nonchalency. "I woudn't put it...no!" Slender hands fluttered in a sudden gesture of anxiety. "You don't mean to say...you've gotten us lost?!" 

A faint scuffling from behind caught her attention and appropriately saved Hiten from potential embarassment. She turned, purely on instinct, and then froze. 

The numerous thick, yellowed bones which had laid on the hearth were..._rearranging_ themselves. The skulls rolled from their original postition, clanking and clattering as they were rejoined with the rest, as if an invisible dollmaker was pulling at them with strings, and then tying them together and setting them up straight...

Kagome shrieked and barreled backwards, putting Hiten between her and the awful sight. She braced a trembling hand against his shoulder, unconsiously relishing in the warmth that the youkai exuded. 

"Pathetic," she heard him hiss as he turned slightly towards her. He was relaxed and seated all the while, plainly unruffled, but it was a rather different matter to her. She could only watch from behind his frame with morbid horror and fascination...and a painful ache inside of her. Fresh images spun through her head - scenes from just moments ago, when they had been having dinner. And then...then...

She shrieked as one of the skeletons lunged towards them. She grabbed onto the thick material of Hiten's shirt. But the skeleton only made it halfway across, before toppling to the ground clumsily. A rasping moan floated eerily towards them. "Kaago...me..."

The petrified girl stiffened, unaware of her fingers which dug into the shoulder she held onto. It...it knew her name? But of course! If these were really the spirits of the mother and son from earlier on...

Slowly, her thin fingers uncurled, bringing themselves to cover her trembling lips. _Oh kami...what is going on_? 

"Kaagome...dii...nner...reemem...ber...?" The skeleton reached its boned arm towards her direction, as it attempted to push itself upright again. It fell with a soft hiss which sounded strangely like frustation. 

The second skeleton had formed by now, and the anguished cry that it let out shook Kagome thoroughly. "Mo...thher? I...feel...straannge..."

She choked on the knot in her throat as liquid suddenly rolled down from from her eyes. She could barely taste the salt as tears trickled past her lips in little streams. Weakly, she stumbled to her feet, dimly aware of Hiten's hand as it shot out to hold her back. She struggled away impatiently. It took her a few steps before she reached the skeletons. A sob burst from her throat as she reached for the skeletal fingers. "Oh no...what happened to you?" 

"Get back here, woman!" 

She ignored the angry bark, concentrating on the pitiful whimpers of fear and confusion. "Ha - Haruki?" 

"Help...Kagome..." 

"I - ittai!" The sudden pierce made her shriek as lashes of pain streaked through her leg. She gazed down in horror at the skull which had its teeth clamped around her calf. 

"Diinneeer..." 

***

Hiten could watch no longer. His jaw throbbed with irritation even as he jerked the idiotic twit by the collar of her yukata, violently away from the two skeletal youkai. Just how stupid could humans get? He was surprised that they could even survive this long, with their worthless sense of reasoning. In seven hells, they shouldn't have been allowed to live at all. 

He pulled her up with him, allowing a small amount of youki to emit from his being as he stood. It blasted the damned ghouls across the room, smashing them into minature fragments. 

He should have done that ever since he'd entered. 

They had served their purpose, as it was. Ghouls like these had their human memories and form only while daylight lasted. In the night, they transformed back into the senseless skeletons they were, surviving solely on the prey they had trapped during the day. He had left her in their care, trusting his knowledge of the ghouls enough to know that they had the instincts of humans, as long as it was still day. But there she had to go, getting bogged down, attached to them because of her ridiculous human sentiments. 

"Hiten..." 

The woman he held was whimpering his name, he realised. Supported only by his hold on her, she would collapse the minute he released his grip. He snorted, shifting her farther back and settling her down on the straw-covered floor. "A fine miko you are turning out to be, woman." 

He was beginning to doubt the raw surge of immense power he had identified, the minute he'd touched her at the hotspring. 

"Haruki...I don't understand, Hiten...why?" 

He growled in frustration, restraining the feral urge to inflict physical harm on her, just for being stubborn. "I didn't save you time and again to ask for all this trouble. I am being patient. Extremely patient. But do not attempt to breach my limits; you would not even live to realise it."

But his threats were as good as being bounced off a wall.

"It's my fault," she sighed softly, curled up in a tight ball, slumped against a large jar. With her palm, she massaged her calf. It was fortunate that human teeth were blunt to begin with - the bite would have have done a great deal more damage. As it was, red marks were imprinted on the soft, pale flesh. But they were minute scars and disappear within hours. 

Not that he gave a fucking damn. 

The tear-stained face that she lifted towards him made him forget momentarily, the angry words that hung on his lips.

"Isn't it?" Wide, frightened brown eyes rimmed with spikey black lashes, the recent scent of salt fresh, mingled with that of the morning air and cherry blossoms. A tiny face, stark white against raven's tresses. 

Fragile. Shockingly delicate. 

It shot a sudden bolt through him. "They were already dead. Died a long, time ago." He said softly to her in a low, rough voice, before he could catch himself.

"I - " She fought to form words on her rose-petal lips. "I know. But I was just too pig-headed to admit you were right, I suppose." The corners of her lips pulled up slowly. 

"You were a perfect little fool, going up to those youkai, acting on that hopeless impulse of yours," he said harshly, catching her chin in his fingers as he lifted her face to stare into those large, bottomless brown eyes of hers. 

***

Kagome froze. There it was again. The _look_. The one she had seen earlier on, the one that wasn't threatening to eat her up or blast her into pieces, the one that wasn't as frightening and terrible as it _should _have been. Disbelief widened her round eyes at his words. 

"I'm just not used to my enemies being right, after all." Then she blinked - the _look_ had disappeared, replaced by the familiar black scowl.

Oh, how wrong she had been. She almost felt bad, suddenly. It was...weird, in the weirdest sense of the word, having to admit that you had just maligned a supposedly vicious, cutthroat youkai. "I - sorry for the trouble." 

She dragged his hand away from her face slowly, cupping it in both of hers for a moment longer than she should have. With no small amount of wonder, she stared at the coarse hand she held, turning it over slightly, this way and that. Heavy, large and unrefined, with long, boney fingers tipped with the fearsome dark talons that were customary for youkai. And yet in its own strange way, the curled fingers and long palm were elegant as that of a noble-born. She flinched slightly. Countless number of beings, human and youkai alike, had fallen to that very hand. But, it occured to her yet again that she that it had never actually been harmed, directly, by his hand before. 

Just like with Inuyasha...

Contemplation snared and engrossed her thoughts, only to be broken by the sudden gutteral snarl that tore through the delicate strands. 

"What in seven hells are you up to this time, wench."

She flung the hand away as if it were a venemous snake - though it was probably much more dangerous than that - and flushed a brilliant crimson. She ducked her head, thoroughly mortified by her own outlandish behaviour. She laid herself down onto her side, not quite willing - or daring - to look at Hiten again. 

"Sorry," she muttered, wishing that her own hands were detachable. Right now, they seemed to be burning a white-hot, much like her face.The grimey mixture of straw, dust and sand tickled her neck and the side of her face but she wasn't paying much attention to it just then.

"I never knew you found me intriguing," his voice had softened into a low, almost purring growl. A warm heat source settled itself uncomfortably close to her back as she felt the straw beneath her rustle. Hot air puffed against her hair. "Detestable, perhaps, but certainly not on this...level."

Her imagination raced full speed ahead - she could just _feel _him right next to her, and she could just see the horrible, gloating smirk on his face.

She blanched and acting on the urgent impulses of her reflex, wriggled as far away as she could, just about plastering the whole length of her body and face against the dust-covered wall before her. Almost immediately, a violent sneeze erupted through her nose and she banged her forehead promptly against the wall. "Itte..."

Hiten gave a low chuckle from behind, rendering her motionless yet again. It seemed as if an inch or two was all the distance it took for the both of them to be snuggled close together. It reminded her of the first time Hiten had captured her, when they had...well done something her schoolgirl modesty insisted that she'd rather _not_ remember altogether. She had never really brooded on that for a long time now. It was another one of those unwanted memories she had tightly locked inside her mind's cabinets. What she certainly didn't expect, was for the _recurrence_ of that particular scene.

"I guess we'll be spending the night here, huh," she muttered, the question to cover up the sounds of his deep breathing against her ear, more than anything else. 

Silence. 

He'd probably fallen asleep already, she figured, judging from the sudden lack of activity and sardonic remarks behind her.

Squirming uncomfortably in her awkward position, she considered re-situating herself to another spot in the hut. 

But that would mean leaving the 'safety' lines. And she was starting to sense a pattern here now, a pattern her ego and pride wasn't ready to admit _yet_...

Rationality won eventually, bidding her to stay where she was; and coupled with the drowsiness of sleep, the schoolgirl drifted slowly from the remaining threads of a feverish reality, into dark, unknown velvets. 

She was oblivious at last to her discomfort, and oblivious to the grinding wheels of fate that were about to change everything around her drastically. 

- end chapter 11 -  


* * *

**A/N**: Wow thanks you guys! I received a nice number of emails the last time round, and it just delighted me so. I love you all to pieces for being such dears ^_^ I'll do the review responses the next time, but still, many thanks as always to the terrific reviewers. They really help improve my writing, and I do gain alot of insightful feedback from them. Keep it up! Lol. No really. Hugs and kisses to all ya kind, loveable, adorable folks ^___^   
  
I hope this chapter explained a number of things. And I do so hope that I have provided a newer understanding about Hiten. He might have his own motivations, but he isn't as mean as we all thought he was...or is he? *Grins* At least there really _is_ something going on between him and Kagome this time round.   
  
Well I am rather concerned about the pacing of my story, and the characterisation, so if anybody has any feedback/criticisms about that, it would be as appreciated as chocolate bars and cream puffs and mah beloved Hiten plushies. No, I'm just kidding. I do not own them, and I don't believe there are any around, sadly. What I wouldn't give to have a life-size Hiten doll...*sniggers* don't you go there, you naughty readers. Till the next chapter...thank you all for your support once again :-D  


***edit**: 20/6/03 Seeing the time I had on hand, I decided to add in my replies to reviews after all.   
  


**Review's Corner**

**[Lady Krisie]** - Lol that is an exaggeration my dear, but many thanks, nevertheless :-) It makes me very happy, even though I know that is rather far from the truth lol. I could think of...*counts on fingers and toes*...

**[Anata]** - A million 'Thank you's' for giving DT a chance, in that case ;) And I do understand what you mean, about wanting to skip ahead of a story to get to the nice bits, and it's something I'm still working on, sadly. And yes, as tempting as it is to 'hook them up', so to speak, I just cannot bring myself to do it, just yet. There are many things to be ironed out between those two, before I can really get started on the juicier bits. Aack. Did you really start crying? Because wow that would really have made me happy! No, not as a sadomasochist, but as an author ^__^ Anyway thank you for your nice, long review, once again! And I will email you for sure, when I update.

**[Kuriispi Kuriimu]** - Oh you don't say! Kagome is one lucky girl, indeed!

**[Shiranai Kitsune]** - Teehee that was what I was aiming for, partly. There's just so much conflicting emotions I would love to portray, between the both of them. Thanks muchly :-)

**[Hakuyoukai]** - Thank you! Some passion? Well what can I say? They're working on it, they're working on it :-D

**[Xtreme Nuisance]** - Why thank you for the compliment, hon ^___^ And yes, I am rather hopeless at humour, aren't I? *grinz*

**[GrinningContrivance] **- Oh Takuya Kimura is a hunk and a half *drools uncontrollably*...But he's a Japanese popstar/actor and I don't know if he's as popular in other parts of the world, so I don't really think it's you, don't worry :-)

**[Kodokuchan]** - thank you for reviewing again, hun! You're so sweet (and so are the rest of you!) And you were spot on about the OC's! I must be losing my touch *grumbles* lol just kidding.

**[Black Rose Lady]** - that's so kind of you! *beams widely* That must have been absolutely the sweetest criticism I've ever had lol. Just kidding. I enjoy praise almost as much as critique, so don't worry too much about hurting my rather redundant ego, if you do find something that bothers you ^___^ 

**[lynnxlady]** - Hun, thank you so much for all your help, with the fic list as well!! You can email me at t0momii@kichimail.com but I will be leaving yo another email, in case you don't read this. Folks, Lynnxlady here is one kind lady, and a gem of an audience. I love her to bits *grins*

**[Alexandris Roses]** - Somehow, 'happy' doesn't really fit the bill here, but I do try (and fail rather miserably) to throw in some humour here and there. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly the funniest person around ^_^; 

**[kawaiikitsune]** - aww shucks, you flatter me ^__^ The good thing about portraying Hiten is, there is just so little known about him, so it's all pretty much left open for me to explore and fiddle with. Thank you again!

**[Kagura]** - thanks so much!! I do concentrate quite abit on the descriptions, if I can.

**[Amarome ]** - I appreciated that bit of advice, and I will certainly bear that in mind! I tried answering some of the questions in this chapter, hopefully the pace will pick up soon. At least, as fast as the plot will allow ^__^ I do know of two others who write Hiten fics, you can check them out at my favourites list! 

**[dumdeedum] **- gee thank you! I am trying to aim for that complexity in character, and I can't tell you how delighted I am, that you find it to be so ^___^ That's one of the fun things about Hiten, isn't it. He really does remind me of an extremely savage-ised Inuyasha, in fact. But I am aiming for a sort of hidden intelligence as well, so there's layers and layers about him, like what Kagome says :-D

**[Oneiropolos] **- awww! That's so nice of you :) Well I hope this chapter made things clearer. Hiten's starting to soften up a little, or so it seems. Hmm.

**[Cin of an Angel] **- Hello dear! Awesome review, as usual. You really do know how to make an author feel loved an appreciated *grinz* Yes Kagome wouldn't hesitate to turn to someone for help, but I don't really think she's stubborn. She's another complex character, if you come to think of it. Very smart, she's flexible in her way of thinking, and yet she can be so impulsive at times. There's so much more, and I really do so enjoy writing about her too. Well as for Hiten, there's a little bit more that hasn't been revealed, not for the time being anyway. Your 350th review? OOOh I'm er...honoured, for lack of a better word XD

**[Massao-na-Mizu]** - yep, me bad. It's in _this _ chapter where the bit about the mother and son is revealed, and not in 10 ^_^; Oh regarding your questions:  
"What id blazes is happening?!" She yelped. what does id mean? Maybe you meant: "What in balzes is happening?!" ^-^ I thought I just would point that out to you...'---- I do mean 'what id blazes' because she's pinching her nose as she talks, but I might go back and make it a little clearer.   
'And Kagome... She tries to be or look confident although she does somehting really clumsy and ends up looking like a klutz (coughs that sounds like Lizzi McGuire)...'---- You were spot on about that, actually. I was intending to go for that effect. Nobody is perfect, and certainly not Kagome. She has her faults as well, something which I feel makes her more approachable, someone teenaged girls can identify with more (in general, at least.)  
'agonised spirits of the dead' I thought about it then copied it in the microsoft word to check if it's correct. You might have meant 'agonized spririts...'---- That could be because your dictionary is set in standard American English, rather than British, or something along that line ^__^  
And aww you really flatter me, dood. I actually find it tons easier writing about Hiten, than other character, because his personality has yet to be set and sculpted out completely (just enough for me to have a grasp of what he's like), unlike the rest. And please don't say you're stupid! I do admit that my writing is on the ambiguous side. Well I think Hiten explained it here: the surroundings change together with the nature of both mother and son (from human to skeleton youkai) as night falls.   
Wow this must have been the longest response I've writen. I do want to thank you for being such and awesome reviewer, to have gone through the trouble of checking out my mistakes for me. I appreciated that wholely. A thousand hugs and kisses! Thank you ^_____^

**[Draco MalfoyGirl 16]** - Well they're getting there, at their own pace :-) Alot of bumpy rides in between perhaps, but they will eventually get there.

**[Sunflowerseed]** - Thanks muchly! He is cool and cruel isn't he ^__^ I just love Hiten. I think everyone has a good idea by now :D

**[Mistress-Pen]** - So you see what I mean about those people now? Hm not exactly a good thing, but it was a necessary plot device in any case. And aww. You have just got me blushing at your compliment! Thank you! I wouldn't dare make such a claim, but it is so encouraging to know ^__^ But I hope I'm not changing Hiten too much, now that he's playing an almost different role entirely.

**[Tigerchild]** - You're most welcome hon! I wouldn't have made it this far if it weren't for your emails, honestly. I really do need to give you a humongous shout out for being there the whole while! 

**[Ms.Videl Son]** - *grinz* stop buttering up to me now, will ya ;-) 

**[Laurelyn]** - I replied you by email, but thank you once again :) That's the beauty about Hiten, how scarily unpredictable he can get lol. 

**[Celtic*Kokoro*Knight]** - you really think so? *phew* I was straying into dangerous grounds, getting Hiten to do that. Thanks a million!  
  


And here's my word of thanks to the wonderful dears who have left such kind and lovely words for this humble author. Reviews are so lovely and encouraging. They just have that special ability to make me write faster and more :D I always go through my reviews when I suffer from a dry spell, so THANK YOU ALL!!! 

**A/N**: Replies are directed to reviews from Chapter 10. 


	12. Private Emotions

**06.25.03**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reijuu brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to develop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^  


**A/N**: I'd like to make use of this opportunity to discuss a little about Hiten. Well having little reference to begin with, it was fairly challenging, but fun, attempting to nail Hiten's character. These are just a few of what I feel, make up this delicious youkai. *ahem* Please note, these are just my personal opinions as always, and you are free to challenge them ^-^ 

He is essentially, a youkai with no morales, at least on the surface, as presented in the manga. But as always, an author is free with his/her interpretation of a character, so long as it makes sense. Which is why I attempted to inject some lost humanity into Hiten. But the one thing that convinces me Hiten is not beyond redemption, is the extremely strong bond, and the fierce protection and loyalty, he has for his brother Manten. 

Which leads to the point, that Hiten is only behaving as a youkai would, and is brought up to be, and not what his inner self truly is. His behaviour is akin to that of a delinquent child, in fact. Recall their 'family portrait'. From that picture, it certainly seemed that this was a family with implimented strict upbringing ways, and discipline, especially the father, whom Hiten resembles. But somehow, the parents were missing in the story, which leads me to believe that perhaps something bad happened, causing Hiten and Manten to be lead astray, resulting in who they are today. These are just speculations, but they could very well have happened (and psst. I am intending to use this plot in further chapters :D) 

Aside from his cruelty, Hiten comes across as wildly arrogant, and confident, conceited, if you will. Egoccentric, self-centered, explosive. He has many moodswings which are painfully obvious, going from an innocently wide-eyed and friendly boy one moment, to a snarling beast the next. He is also very much a 'play-boy', attracting countless female youkai and bringing them home, and every other imaginable deed. This is a distinctive trait of his, I believe, seeing how Takahashi sensei played it up deliberately. (Sesshoumaru was never seen in the company of women, and neither was Naraku, or most of the villains around.) And it is also one which I will be toying with. Remember, someone who is as promiscuous as he, would have no qualms about flirting, or possibly even bedding a female - youkai or not, and possibly none about killing them afterwards. 

But while he might appear a human-like enough character, he is of a much more ferocious nature than Inuyasha, or Kouga. It is obvious that he kills without thought, and with glee, even. This is what's extremely dangerous about him. He treats killing as if it were a mere game, not even something to which is necessary. It makes you wonder that he would kill it just for the heck of it. But I do get the feeling that he probably doesn't dislike humans as much as Sesshoumaru would have. At least, the disregard that he has for humans and youkai alike, amounts to about the same level.

**IMPORTANT**: Finally, you might want to take note that I am attempting to peg down all these characteristics, while taking the liberation to add in somemore of my own. In Part II of Distant Thunder particularly, he is slightly more serious than in Part I. (The reasons of which will be revealed further down.) And already, Kagome, the sharp girl that she is, has noticed the change. 

Also in Part I, I think some might have noticed that I had deliberately added in twists of my own, (one of which was how he was affected by the _noises_ in his head - the actual reason why he seeked the Shikon Jewel) which downplayed his lack of morales, and I will continue doing so. But it isn't to say that he has tamed down, no. He still continues acting on his own whims and fancies, except that perhaps these whims and fancies are gradually being influence by somemore outside factors and emotions, thus bringing about character developement, in a sense :-) 

  
These are just some of the notes I have taken about Hiten. If you are writing a fic on him, (and please let me know if you are, I would love to read it!!) do feel free to refer to my notes ^__^ But remember these are just observations of my own, and not to be taken word for word. If anyone has further interpretations or differing opinions, or just anything regarding Hiten, I would love to discuss them with you. Drop me an email at t0momii@kichimail.com or AIM me, my screenname being t0momii (the 0 being the number zero, and not the alphabet). 

  


P.S. Slight waff ensues ^____^   


* * *

**Yuri **- The wandering spirits of the dead. 

**Yukata** - A summer kimono that is worn on a more casual basis than the traditional kimono.

**Kami** - A collective number of entities in the Shinto religion.  
  
Ne - An exclamation.  


* * *

**  
Distant Thunder   
(PART II)  
**By: cacat-angel

  
_it's you that I adore   
you'll always be my whore   
you'll be the mother to my child   
and a child to my heart   
we must never be apart  
__  
Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore_  


**chapter 12: **Private Emotions**  
**

The youkai laid on his side, head cushioned by musty straw. Quiet, dark red eyes fixated thoughtfully on the cotton-light bundle that had somehow nestled herself in the crook of his arm during the night. She was warm, curled up and small as a kitsune cub. Soft, downy hair tickled his forehead and he blew at it with his mouth - his hands were pinned down beneath the girl's body, his arms going around and under the gentle curves - but paused when the scent of fresh cherry blossoms and salt was inhaled. Detestable really, but rather...alluring. 

He nuzzled at the black wisps with his nose, pushing them aside to reveal a tiny, heart-shaped face. Delicate features swathed in bleak shadows and gently illuminated contours, tracks of moisture glistened on wet lashes, down her cheeks. She had been crying. 

Why?

Suddenly, she stirred. Curved eyebrows creased, soft lips parted and a light swish of air was pushed through. "No...save me...Inuyasha..."

Inuyasha...

The rare expression of peace on the youkai's handsome face shattered. 

With a low growl, he shoved the girl away, as if she'd scorched him. The back of her head collided with the clay wall. He stiffened, then relaxed slightly, a grudging tug at the corner of his lips. She was still asleep.

It would probably take much more than that to shake this wench up. Humans were such weak creatures. He simply could not comprehend this state of near-subconsciousness they partook in, that seemed vital to their pathetic lives. Though it wasn't to say that youkai did not adopt a similar method of slumber; it was merely a case of survival - a youkai would have been rotting in the soil it came from, had it slept as humans did. 

But leave contemplation to the scholars.

Outside, faint, murmuring echoes of long lost pasts and forgotten terrors seemed to dwindle and fade like the parting of a summer's breeze. He didn't quite know what it was, only that they had been appeased, somehow, coaxed into submission, to return to the dark abyss they had been released from. 

It had actually been quite awhile, and he was aware of it. He should have awakened her, but the small mass of warmth that huddled against him was too enjoyable a sensation to resist. With a soft purring sigh, he surrendered finally, as his angular cheekbone leaned back down against soft hair. Surrendered, to one of the strangest emotions to have been evoked in him. 

Moonlight shone through gaps in the window panels of wood above, as clouds parted steadily in Night's sky. 

The youkai lifted his heavy-lidded gaze, drinking in the frost-pale beams that drifted in. He knew not, what entity resided within the globe of light, only that it had been a constant companion throughout his aimless journeys. Its cold, magnetic radiance outshining the countless speckles of souls that dotted the sky, but it wept, in its solitary existence. A faint tugging pain churned within his chest, and he would have clutched at it, had his hands been free. 

Time had passed for Hiten like silent shadows, awareness of its passing an inkling that teetered on the cliffs of his consciousness. It slipped through crevices and cracks, but it wasn't missed. How could he miss time, when it didn't matter to him at all? When he was without a purpose, without a direction, adrift like the mists in the air? 

And so he'd wandered for many moons. 

Until he'd met her. 

Until startling brown eyes awakened something inside of him, something he had never realised was missing - a memory. The girl that had struck a note that vibrated within in his black heart. 

And then the hanyou had came along, appearing closely after the wench did. And an inner sense in him whispered that this hanyou was not a mere bystander as well. 

So there he was, presented suddenly with two startling revelations. It had been the very first time since he could remember, the very beginnings of a throbbing connection with hanyou and human girl. And with the connection, were threads of emotions - intense loathing, being the strongest, closely followed by anger, despair, and smatterings of grief. It puzzled him to no end, but it triggered off a new kind of desperation in him, and a sense of fulfillment.

Or rather, the intense _need_ for fulfillment.

And then, along with those emotions, something else was triggered, set off by the woman's scent and her face, the way she spoke and moved. This was a whole new sensation altogether, much unlike the main flow of hatred and sorrow. It was something unidentifiable, but he knew it was something just as of great importance. It had been buried deep inside of him, maybe it had never even existed, and it certainly had never made its presence known, until he met her. 

He was convinced, that this girl, human trash as she were, was a tool. A key, to unlock mysteries that he was bent on solving. And nothing more than that.

Emotions. Hah. He had those little beasts tightly locked and under rein. He had learnt one thing from his travels - _he_ was the master of his own emotions, and not the other way round. It was instinctual, a primal knowledge that was inbred, that only needed a slight nudge in the right direction, to be unearthed. 

Unlike...this. 

This was...the sudden craving for a memory. A gnawing kind of craving, like the raw, heightened sensation of a full-fledged battle against a worthy opponent - once you'd tasted it for the first time, it refused, and was impossible, to be placated. 

He wanted his memories back. He needed them like nothing else, desired them. Not just mere words and word induced thoughts, to fill up the painful blanks in his mind. He needed something that had substance inside - the memories themselves. The need dug and clawed at him gently but urgently, demanding that he filled up this gigantic black hole that he realised now, was left inside his soul. 

A small touch on his skin hauled his attention back to the present. A tiny hand, a hand that belonged to the girl. Delicate fingers that glowed a pale, ghostly white in the moonlight splayed against his bare chest. Somehow, she'd shifted in her sleep, so that her lithe body was curled against his. 

He frowned, struggling between the instinct to recoil with disgust from the full body contact and his inattention, and the strange comfort of her warmth and scent against him. The former gave way in the end, as it had been doing repeatedly ever since he'd encountered this wretch of a human woman-child. 

But this time, it was slightly...different. 

His senses were now magnified instinctively, suddenly fully-tuned to the sensations she had unintentionally created; the softness of her chest pressed against his torso, the graceful curves of legs which entwined with his, her musky, natural body scent mixed with a heady combination of wild flowers and fresh air, the light puffs of air against his neck that tickled his sensitive skin, all invaded him like the powerful crash of a tidal wave. 

He uttered a low growl of disgust, surprise and anger. With youkai speed and stealth, he untangled himself away from the wench within a matter of seconds, without her realising. Fiery red eyes pierced through the form that slept on in blissful unawareness, as the youkai sat cross-legged a good distance away from the girl, breathing irregular and harsh, back straight as a mighty oak, black bangs disheveled.

He crossed his arms, eyes narrowed to slitted crimson orbs and elongated fangs bared, fully determined that such a disgrace would not happen a second time, this night. With practiced ease, he steadied the flow of _ki_ within him, seeking to clear his mind, concentrating instead, on what was to come with the break of day. Already, faint tints of orange were beginning to filter through the darkness, as the sun began its climb. Though this time, the hut would remain unchanged, at rest finally, with its owners. 

His tongue glided against the sharpened points of his fangs as battle-worn fingers drilled against his forearm thoughtfully. The source of the enchantment, the power shield that sealed up the entire forest in an invisible, magical containment...

_It will return again, today._

***

The soft, pastel-green grass was freshly scented, early dew twinkling in the sun. Pale flowers that peppered the ground swayed gently in the misty breeze. Around the little hill, slender trees bowed gracefully to the southern wind. 

Then, the ethereal scene was broken as a girl's piercing screech sliced through the peaceful morning air. 

"An answer to what you really want from me, and what's really going on, that's all I need! Is that too much to ask for? You can't kidnap me, push and pull me around then expect me to keep quiet about it!" 

Kagome's chest heaved furiously, and at the moment, she wished desperately for something to destroy. She felt like a broken recorder, and she was most certain Hiten would have felt the same, had he known what that was. She paused for breath, glaring at the youkai that towered silently above her. Ooh that stubborn rock of a male. She'd just have to have all the luck, didn't she. She glanced at the long braid that swung gracefully around his arm in the light breeze, then followed the arm down to his fingers, and then his claws. She held back a visible shudder. 

"Can't you feel it."

"Feel what?" She was distracted abruptly when her eyes caught a glimpse of the toned forearm that was revealed beneath the sleeve he had rolled halfway up. It was tanned and brown, with thick, corded muscles that ran down its length, barely revealing a hint of the immense strength and power it held within. She shivered at the sudden mental image of his muscular chest. 

"Do not play dumb with me. You should know. Aren't you a _Miko_?" He snapped his head towards her and growled, startling the dazed girl with his lightning-quick movement. He grasped her by the shoulder and jerked her forward. She winced, tripping over the tiny pebbles on the ground as she was pulled forward rudely. "I do wish to not waste my time on you, if you can do nothing." 

"Well then! Why don't you just let me go?!" She sputtered, her small face glowing red with indignation. Did this pompous oaf just call her a...a waste of time?! She wriggled, furiously backing out of his hold, and glared at him with rounded eyes that shot sparks of exasperated anger. "I have no idea what you are talking about, and if you find me unqualified for the job, then let me go, by all means!" 

"Concentrate!" 

Kagome's gaping mouth snapped shut at the sharp hiss. Frowning, she turned her eyes in front of her. The small hill they stood on overlooked a pleasant enough view. Dark green trees sprawled over the wide land below and in the distance, mist covered mountains loomed, dotted with dark, olive green. 

But what on earth did he mean? In fact, how did he know it? The 'Miko' status had been thrust upon her so abruptly, she barely answered to it. And she didn't have the skills that came with it, apart from arrow firing. She was no Kikyo. 

Her expression saddened ever so slightly at the sudden intrusive thought of her supposed former-self. And with the thought, lead to the one person who had been weighing her thoughts down all the while - Inuyasha. 

The peril of the past day had her worn-out and exhausted, the sleep she'd taken the night before barely time for her to recuperate. Fatigue was almost enough to push the nagging suspicion out of her mind. But not quite. Now, surrounded by a tranquil environment almost similar to her those that she had encountered in her travels with the baka Inu-youkai, she couldn't help but wonder again...

_When are you coming to get me, baka?_

Suddenly, there was a vibration. A low, whirring hum, faint but present. Her hand rose to smooth the hair out of her face as she turned slightly in its direction. Her thoughts were cut off by the strange noise, that seemed more to be _inside_ her head, than external. 

"I - I think I feel it," she whispered. She chewed on her lower lip, dainty eyebrows creased in tensed concentration. "It's coming from over...there." 

Youkai and girl turned almost simultaneously to the left. Beyond a glistening river, a gathering of dark, ominous mountains rose from the horizon. Kagome held back a choke of disbelief, instantly reminded of Hiten's home. This was a coincidence alright...and it occurred to her again. Why hadn't he asked her about what happened yet? But she wasn't about to ponder on that question. Her insides still fuming from the youkai's shabby treatment, she decided that wasn't going to bother at all, if he insisted on continuing with this...this childish display. 

"Good..." The youkai murmured softly, his low voice almost silky in its gentleness. 

Kagome looked towards him sharply. Just what was he thinking now? "I swear, I will burst a blood vessel before you can stop your annoyingly ambiguous behaviour." She muttered crossly under her breath. 

"Really? Hnn..."

Kagome swiveled towards the tall youkai whose back faced her at the moment, a tall, broad silhouette against creamy skies. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. Did he just laugh? At her? 

"You weren't supposed to hear that," she informed him with a half smile, waving a finger.

He said nothing, and her vision could be wrong, but she swore his shoulders were shaking. She shook her dark tresses back almost impatiently, choosing to ignore whatever _that_ had meant. She took a few steps away from the summit, before turning back. 

The youkai remained rooted, only twisting his head around slightly to look at her.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go, then!" 

***

They were being stalked. The sensation was a dense prickle at her neck, as if many tiny feet crawled on her skin. With jittery caution, Kagome scanned her surroundings, eyes absorbing intently, all that their human capacity allowed. 

Nothing. Nothing but the usual trees that clustered together, and dappled sunlight upon green grass. 

Now this seemed familiar...almost like deja-vu...when did it - 

Oh. The pieces clicked suddenly in her mind. In the clarity of day, after a night's rest, her thoughts were cleared relatively, allowing for a more normal processing. Of course, it felt familiar. Because it had _happened_ before. Exactly when she'd first entered this forest with Hiten. When she had been attacked by those...a shudder coursed through her slender frame. She'd rather choose _not_ to go there.

Pushing back morbid recollections, she willed the special instinct of hers - the one that had lead her to shikon jewel shards victoriously many a times - to source out the cause of her anxieties. She was especially high-strung today, every nerve vibrating with alert. And the stubborn mule ahead of her was simply not making things any easier. 

Slippered feet shuffling across the damp ground, she shot an angry glare at the tall figure walking in front of her. The cloth of his outfit was actually more of a dull green, she realised, straining at his broad shoulders, tapering down to a trim waistline that was wrapped around with black cloth. A waistline, that was cause for envy, even for a man. Or a male. 

Glower turned to stare, and she felt her face heat up for some obscure reason.

"Ne, Hiten," she cleared her throat, uncomfortable with the silence. "Aren't you going to ask me about well...about your past?"

"No."

"No? Why? The one reason I do know for the cause of my capture, does happen to link to your loss of memory, doesn't it?" She hopped forward to get closer to him. The yukata she wore acted as a bind that held her legs close together, restricting any large movement. "Ne...I could tell you."

He paused, her nose bumping squarely against his rock-hard shoulder. 

"Ouch." 

"That's not what I require of you. My memory, I do intend to regain, obviously. But I do not need to hear anything from you." 

She hiccuped, nose and pride fairly bruised. That egomaniac! 

"Well then, I'm telling you, whether you want to hear it or not, in that case! Did you know, that you actually - woah!" Her perverse declaration - which she felt rather ashamed of, but insisted to herself that the brute was well-deserving of it - was ended by a ripping tear, and a quick descend face-first, arms flailing, to the ground. Air swished by, and a brief flash of green crossed to her peripheral vision, before her face was smashed gracelessly against the ground. 

"Damnit!" Kagome laid on the dewy grass for a few seconds to catch her breath, certain that her nose was flattened. A pair of booted feet entered her line of sight. "You stepped aside deliberately!" She exclaimed. Squeezing the bridge of her nose tightly with her fingers, she pushed herself upright with her other hand, getting to her feet with woozy steps. 

"I suppose I did," came the nonchalant reply. Hiten stood casually across her, arms folded and legs spread in his trademark stance. A cocky smirk graced across his sharp features as he watched her awkward recovery. 

Embarrassment flooded her head and turned it a pretty shade of red. Fuming, the disheveled schoolgirl stormed away. And this time, the youkai chose to trail beside her like an incessant child, grinning with sadistic victory. "You were saying? Pray tell me. Not that worshipping the ground is any offense, or any bother to me, but - oh look. The pretty yukata you have on is torn. What a pity."

But the fang-baring grin that he wore spoke otherwise. 

She stopped in her tracks. Turning to face the condescending demon, she planted both feet firmly to the ground. When she was sure she'd caught his full attention, she grabbed the dangling piece of excess cloth and ripped it clear off the yukata. More than half of her slender, white legs were revealed, but at least she felt much better. At the ease of movement, or at the act of rebellion, she wasn't sure. 

"Well you know what? I don't care, you...you annoying...thing!"

Throaty chuckles drifted jarringly into her ears as she traipsed as far away from the obnoxious brute of a youkai as possible. 

***

The pair emerged from the cool forest and stopped in the midst of a clearing, in front of a fair-sized lake hours later. The trees surrounded the area, allowing the warm sunshine to heat the water's surface. It sparkled like crystal shards in the afternoon sun, as mist swirled in sprays of rainbow hues above the water. Glistening rocks bordered the edge of the lake, with a few that sprouted upwards right in the middle. 

"Hiten...this place!" 

"I know." The youkai answered calmly. 

Kagome snuck a peek at him. She had refused to speak or even deign a glance at the irksome beast since their little 'moment', but this wasn't exactly a convenient moment to be peeved, for sure. 

For all that was serene and peaceful, Kagome felt in sharp contrast against the scene. This, was the exact spot that they had met each other barely a day ago. The memory washed over her relentlessly, sending sharp warning tingles through her body. It was here all right. Her unnaturally bright eyes grazed over the area, resting on a pile of clothes in that was settled haphazardly against the back of a large boulder, together with a haversack - her haversack! 

"You didn't lead us here intentionally, did you?" Her breath came in little gasps, as she tore her eyes away from her belongings. They could wait...for now, her legs seemed too rooted, to be of much use. 

"No." 

"Ok..." Her heart skipped a beat suddenly. If they were back at where they had originally started off, did this mean that...

"Don't bother. The hanyou would be far away from this place by now." 

"And just how do you know that, mister smarty-pants?" 

He quirked an eyebrow at her choice words, but wasn't outwardly bothered by it. Kagome's teeth grounded noisily against each other. The longer she knew him, the more she realised that the youkai seemed to have the infuriating ability to remain unruffled, precisely when he _should_ have been. 

She, on the other hand, was thoroughly thrown off-course by this unexpected development. Just what did it mean? That they had been going in circles, or...

"You didn't get us lost again, like you did the first time, did you?" 

He sniffed in as dainty a sniff as male youkai brutes could manage, but refused to answer her. 

She drew a sharp intake of breath. "You did!" 

"I did not state my agreement, wench," he hissed, piercing red eyes cast towards hers as he leaned in suddenly. She shrunk back, the accusing finger she had pointed at him whipped immediately out of sight. 

The deadpan look on his tanned, masculine face twitched, even as she watched somewhat cautiously. Elegant, dark eyebrows relaxed and curved, and coal-black lashes lowered tentalisingly, half-veiling the heated red glow beneath. Full lips stretched and twisted upwards in an almost sensuous smile. Slowly, the demon took calculated, slinking steps towards her, the impact of his full-drawn height seeping into her like a dark mantle. Like a large, dangerous predator that took pleasure in toying with its meal. 

With every backward step she took, he closed the gap between them further. 

"While we're here, what do you say, if we continue what we had been doing at this lake, before being so rudely interrupted?" 

Kagome's legs quivered, and her treacherous heart went against the rules of nature the second time that day.

- end chapter 12 -

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**A/N**: Well there's some mush for you guys. I hope I didn't carry it too far, and Hiten wasn't too OOC, was he? I wrote it on the basis that he's forgotten almost everything that he used to be, and in a sense, he is starting afresh, hence the slight changes in his personality. He does still feel that humans are nothing but trash, but that feeling isn't as strong as it used to be. (He will be recovering later on, but revealing too much would be a spoiler.)   
  
Work was a killer, but I've had very strong vibes for this story, so hope to expect more in the future. The plot seems to be unfolding nicely for me, and I had such a fun time writing it!   
  
Any comments, good or bad. Just dump it on me. Was it too draggy, were the characters OOC, details too much/little, inconsistencies, anything I can improve on. As long as you tell me what you think in the reviews (or hopefully, emails! *rubs hands greedily*), then I shall be eternally grateful! 

**  
  
Review's Corner**

**[Flambeau]** - Well that's a pleasant surprise. Happy Belated Birthday to you!

**[SimplyTurquoise]** - Oh yes he is, isn't he. But I can't guarantee for it to be permanent, knowing Hiten. But don't worry, I am an advocate of happy endings, and this fic will be no exception! The more hardship, the sweeter!

**[kokonutsu]** - I'm glad you did have some reaction lol. Keep an eye out for more 'squealers'! And about the sentence, I actually meant for her to say - 'in your bones' and then realise the horrible pun she had just made, and so changing mid-sentence to 'in you'. Thank you for your praise :D

**[Celtic*Kokoro*Knight]** - Yes we all agree with Hiten on himself, he is indeed intriguing ^__^ I love exploring his nature, and turning him inside out. 

**[Elsie]** - Phew. I was worried it wouldn't work out, and no one would notice the 'love-hate' relationship. I'm trying hard, though. Thank you greatly!

**[Angelike Riddle]** - Oh you certainly piled on the butter alright. My ego is on the verge of a heart-attack *grinz* Oh and I just have to add that you have got absolutely wonderful Harry Potter fiction. Great job ^_^ Now YOU have got something I am dying to learn more about, too!!! Maybe I should adopt your method of coaxing, ne :-B

**[EternalLove]** - Yaay. I was afraid this might be all fluff and no substance . That sentence of yours just made me melt ^_^ I will pick up the pace eventually though, when the time is right. Thank you so very muchly!!

**[Massao na Mizu]** - Hi girl! Thank you for introducing the A I R to me! It was appreciated oodles, and heavens, I would never get mad because of flattery ^_~

**[Mistress-Pen]** - Glad to have cleared up some questions. Hm I don't quite get what you meant about 'improtant facts is drivel, but still have filler' , but I'm so relieved that you didn't find it a he did/she did story! It's something I am trying to stay away from, hence the roundabouts :D

**[Laurelyn]** - Hey there! Well I do have a role for Inu, but I won't be revealing it just yet. He won't be playing too big a part though, as this is essentially a Hiten and Kagome story, after all ^__^ And a thousand thank you's to you! 

**[Oneiropolos]** - Don't you just love that little guy. No, just kidding. And yes, I was having a rather hard time with Kagome. Thank you for your review! That was really so encouraging ^__^ 

**[lynnxlady]** - Yeap, I had it planned all along, so I didn't feel quite as bad, writing about their deaths. It was meant to give the audience (and Kagome) mixed feelings about Hiten lol. More moments in this chapter, eh. Hope I didn't overdo it though. 

**[Black Rose Lady]** - *wiggles eyebrows* I wouldn't know, would I ;-D Oh and you can say that a couple more times, I don't mind at all *winks* Yea I do think that I should speed it up a tad too. A thousand thanks for reviewing ^_^ 

**[aoko]** - That was so insightful...thank you! It's wonderful reviews like yours that make writers feel good about their work, and like they've actually achieved at least something with their writing. You are such a dear, thank you! I hope this chapter was slightly more waffy, even though it was all in Hiten's POV XD 

**[Cin of an Angel]** - Thank you much! You flatter me so ^_^ There are quite alot of things that will be happening to Hiten and Kagome, worry not! 

**[keika]** - No kidding, that's so nice to hear *grinz* Thank you very muchly!

**[Iseult] **- Hello there hun! I've always enjoyed your reviews so much! They always leave such a big smile on my face, and they make me feel so good :-D I'm so relieved you found the skeleton part ok, I was worried, what with your protest against my killing of the two previously. Ooh it's always fun guessing what is going to happen, isn't it? You ALWAYs keep me guessing with your fics, and I never get it right in the end ;) And thanks for the advice about my pacing and characterisation. I will bare it in mind, certainly. Oh and about the 'fuck'? Gah I guess I got carried away too. Your potty mouth seems to be rubbing off on me ^__^ Again, thank you so very very muchly for your reviews! 

**[Jazzy]** - Thanks dear. I'm on a roll, so I should be updating pretty fast for now, at least until my break is over. 

**[Anata]** - I'm delighted to hear that :-D It is difficult nailing them down, especially Kagome. I keep getting the sneaky feeling that I'm going off, ya know. But thank you for just being so encouraging. That was so sweet of you :-)

**[Sulia Serafine] **- Thank you so much! I do try my best to be in-depth. I just hope the audience will enjoy it, even though it is so fun to add in details.

**[Wolf SilverMoon]** - Oooh I would be so honoured if you did. Thanks for your review :)

**[Kagura]** - Hmm maybe I should write shorter chapters again? Lol. I'm glad it made up for their deaths, in a way. I'd hate to kill off innocent characters just for the sake of making the audience cry. I just wanted to make a few points, one of it being that Hiten isn't as cruel as he seems. And thanks for the compliments. They make me feel so happy! (Not that compliments would ever make anyone feel sad, really ~_~)

**[Hika-chan]** - Well I tend to keep in mind that Kagome is supposedly raised in a conservative environment, as with most Asian teenagers her age, so sleeping next to a stranger would probably make her fairly nervous and embarassed, not to mention a dangerous youkai that she doesn't know at all, hunk or not. Some fics depict her as being bold and 'open-minded' (especially lemons), but I don't really agree with them. I believe Kagome is still pretty much an naive schoolgirl. I'm just trying to be as realistic as I can. And that's what's with her. (Or with this author, at least ^_^) But thanks for sharing your opinion! 

**[Shatsui]** - Thank you! Oh, you wouldn't want me to take my time. I took almost half a year a few chapters back, to update.

**[Chik of Hiei]** - That would most definitely NOT be me! Thanks for your compliment :D 

**[Misori Chan]** - I'm not an extremely ticklish person, but somehow, that little review just made me giggle out loud ;) I have a good mind _not_ to continue, just to see you do that hobo dance of yours *grinz* 

  
  
**Biggest thanks to the dearies that have left treasured reviews and encouragement ^__^ My apologies if I haven't had time to reply, but rest assured that all reviews were read, and re-read, and worshipped by this humble author! A thousand hugs and kisses to all :-) 


	13. Mirror Thy Soul

**01.18.04**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.  
  
This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reijuu brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^ 

The plot's going to be kind of dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to develop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (I'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^  


**A/N**: Aaaannd, cacat-angel strikes once again!! Check my bio, for those wondering where this author had disappeared to, for the past half year! Again, I have to apologize for keeping all of you waiting! I hope this chapter made up for it (more or less ^_^;). 

To keep you guys up to speed, Kagome and Hiten are lost, trapped in an enchanted forest in which there is no way out. They are able to sense a presence in the forest, one that Hiten knows is the cause of the enchantment, and so to even find a way out, they first have to track down this presence. Also, a little about how Inuyasha is faring so far ;) 

**Yuri**- The wandering spirits of the dead. 

**Yukata** - A summer kimono that is worn on a more casual basis than the traditional kimono.

**Kami** - A collective number of entities in the Shinto religion.  
  
Ne - An exclamation.

**Youki** - The 'ki', or spiritual force of a youkai.

**Onigiri **- Little rice cakes in triangular shapes, rather like sushi.

**

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Distant Thunder

**

(PART II)

  


it's you that I adore 

you'll always be my whore 

you'll be the mother to my child 

and a child to my heart 

we must never be apart

  


Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore  


**Chapter 13**: Mirror Thy Soul

A muted red blur streaked across the forest, leaving trails of faded leaves, torn twigs and three flustered figures in its wake. It landed swiftly on a wizened branch that bowed with the sudden impact. With strong claws dug into the bark for extra balance, Inuyasha crouched on the pads of his feet precariously. His flashing yellow eyes swivelled, ears perked and nose twitching. 

The sun was almost setting, but there was not even a whiff of a trace that indicated the thunder youkai, or Kagome. For one of the rare occasions, the hanyou experienced a twinge of despair. With the youkai exterminator, houshi and kitsune in tow, he had turned the forest inside out, leaving no stone unturned and no tree unclimbed. He growled and shook his mane vigorously.

"Inuyasha, where did you last see them?" Miroku called from below. 

"Yes, please tell us. Night is falling, Kagome-chan will barely be able to defend herself." 

Inuyasha could smell the wretched concern in the houshi and the exterminator's voices. Feh. Utterly useless, that's what it was. Concern was to be tossed to the weakest, the ones that dragged everybody down with their incompetence. Giving a final toss and a violent sneeze, he crept low, then sprung high into the air. The leverage was enough to give him ample flight time, as he sailed through the cutting wind and resumed search. 

Mid leap, a familiar youki hurtled behind him, hitting him right on the head. 

"Oi dog-breath!" It squeaked. 

Inuyasha slapped a hand impatiently behind him and drew a face-making acorn from his mane. 

"Bug off, twerp." He grunted curtly. 

"I can't, I'm entangled in your hair," was Shippou's haughty reply. "You need to get it combed out you know. Tangles lead to - " shudder " - infestation of flea! But I digress. My point is, why can't you slow down and think things out? That's what brains are for, dimwit. You do know that don't you."

Finally, Inuyasha felt the pull of gravity towards earth. He landed on a high pile of boulders this time, taking the opportunity to regain his bearings. "No can do kit. That little bitch needs rescuing, and I'm the only man around to do the job. None of ya runts would be of a bit of help, I'm givin' ya that." He scowled blackly, glowering at the responsibility thrust at him. Though he would hardly call it a responsibility. More like a fuckin' hindrance... 

The acorn huffed indignantly, pulled back from pristine white hair, then launched itself and hit Inuyasha's head with a reasonably loud thud. 

"Ouch! Damnit, whelp! What the hell are ya - " 

But the offending acorn had already hopped to the ground, where it was relatively safer. 

Inuyasha wheezed and coughed briskly, then fixed his eyes ahead. The great yolk in the sky was diminishing in strength even as he watched. And much as he hated to admit, the little runt and the humans were right. Of course it wasn't often _that_ happened. Maybe he should stop the chase for now, continue immediately at daybreak. The weaklings were probably tired and needed their measly rest. He as sure as hell could not leave anything to those dumbheads. Navigation was his forte. 

After all, he was the dog here, not them. 

***

"While we're here, what do you say, if we continue what we had been doing at this lake, before being so rudely interrupted?" Kagome mimicked a certain thunder youkai in a voice a trifle more annoyed than what it should have been. "And what _had_ we been doing at this lake? Well, taking a bath, of course! What _else_ did you think he could have meant? Since when did youkai take baths anyway? It's not as if it would make a difference." 

Of course, she was well aware that the huffy mood she was in, was well related to her embarrassing enough reaction towards the youkai's words, moments ago, a reaction she was determined to pretend had never occurred.

"But ooooh...if I had one of Shippou's charmed weapons, I would slap the charm right across his damned grin. That infuriating beast!" 

She sighed, splashing a little of the spring water across her shoulders. The luxurious silk-like feel of the water washing against her aching body, her little tantrum was soon eased off by its soothing qualities. Her only regret was perhaps the thin layer of swimsuit that prevented overall contact with the gentle swishes. A wise precaution, but nevertheless quite a hindrance in the therapeutic nature of the spring.

Embarrassment aside though, she was thoroughly confused. 

She gazed in the distance at the mountain, the bizarre buzz reverberating in her bones. She was getting used to it by now, and though Hiten had insisted on the bath they were to take - really, she would never have guessed that youkai had a penchant for cleanliness - she was anxious to be on her way. His reluctance at letting her in on anything annoyed her to no end, but she wasn't so silly to dismiss the obvious connection between the occurrences.

One, they were walking in circles, ever since they arrived. 

Two, Hiten mentioned that it was an unknown form of sorcery that kept them trapped. 

Three, he had ordered her to source out the whirring buzz. 

And four, they were now to be headed towards the origin of the buzz.

Oh joy. She had solved the puzzle, and without Mr. Mystery's aid. How smart was that? Well hm. As smart as Hojou, doubtless. Well at least she knew what was going on, at last. They were about to kick some major sorcery ass! At least, Hiten was. And once again, Kagome was to be the prodigy detector! Pfft. Oh joy.

The sound of light footsteps treading on crisp grass caught Kagome's attention. Months of perilous duels in feudal Japan had sharpened the schoolgirl's reflexes considerably. Holding her breath, she submerged herself into the waters and swam through the murky depths, resurfacing behind a semi-circled cluster of rocks. She knew it would be eventually futile against powerful youkai, but at least it gave her ample shield, and time to react and plan her actions. 

Breath held, fingers braced against the slippery, moss covered rocks, she dared a glance outside of her shelter. 

It was a girl. Seemingly human, dressed in plain garb, with a bamboo basket strapped across her back. The girl knelt at the riverbank, several feet away from where Kagome hid. 

Kagome watched on in silence, lips pressed tightly together, face pale and grim. Sudden, mental images of strewn bones and spilt blood drifted in her mind, even as she attempted to push them down. Already, she felt sweat prickles on her palms, and bolts of shivers racing down her spine. She squelched a compulsive urge to barf. 

_Hiten...come quick..._

The sudden thought startled the hiding girl, briefly replacing trepidation with slight alarm. A quick blush heated her cheeks, even before she could react. Then, alarm was quick to turn into annoyance. With both fingers she pinched her telltale cheeks, mentally chiding herself for overreacting to a simple thought. There was, after all, a much more important issue at hand. 

A little more fixated than was necessary, Kagome turned her attention towards the girl once again. 

The mysterious stranger had removed bundles of clothing from her basket, folded into neat piles beside her. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing thin, pale arms, and her hair was tied back neatly with a head wrap. Almost laboriously, she pulled out a heavy piece of cloth out from the hotspring, a red garment that was dense and swollen with water, before immersing it again. She continued with the treatment, when her grip loosened suddenly. The maiden gave a loud gasp of dismay, at almost the same time as Kagome did. 

Like a colourful river snake, the thick red cloth floated from the maiden's grasp, winding its way merrily away from the banks. It disappeared briefly from Kagome's sight, then emerged from a corner of the rocks that sheltered the schoolgirl. A second's hesitation was all it took, before Kagome made a quick dive for the escaping garment. 

The stream was swift, already carrying the cloth towards the deep ends of the hotspring. Kagome panicked for a brief moment when a quick surge of underwater current threatened to suck her into the depths. Quickly, she lunged forward for the cloth, and with strong strokes, made her way back to the banks. 

"Here!" Kagome gasped, as she broke out of the water directly before the girl. "I got it back for you." Drenched from the head as tiny rivets of water rolled off soaked hair that hanged into her eyes, she smiled tentatively, even as she struggled to regain her breath. 

After a moment of surprise, the girl leaned over to retrieve her garment. "Thank you," was the soft reply, accompanied by a wide smile that seemed to suddenly warm Kagome and dispel any fear or caution. At this distance, Kagome realised the girl had the same unearthly beauty, almost like Hiten's. Skin that was almost too white, eyes too large and dewy. That alone should have been cause for alarm, and yet this girl exuded such peace and calm, Kagome could only sigh with something akin to content. 

"It was dangerous, what you did," the girl continued, her voice tinkling as wind chimes in the breeze. "Thank you, dear child." 

Kagome shivered with a strange delight. "I just...just wanted to help out. And since you're all clothed and stuff, you can't come into the water, or you might get wet. S-so...yea. Don't mention it!" 

The girl smiled gently again. She turned and reached into her bamboo basket, removing a square bundle from within. It was wrapped with Japanese cloth, delicate gold prints of sakura blossoms and snowing mountainous backdrop. She handed it to Kagome, who received the package in a fluster, silently wishing her hands were at least dry. 

"For me? You don't have to, really..."

"Please. It is but a tiny gift, dear child. A token of my appreciation, for your kindness." 

"Well...thank you. I will accept it, then."

Satisfaction crossed the girl's ethereal face. She straightened up, then quite abruptly, disappeared.

Kagome blinked, as her eyes refocused on the now-empty patch of emerald grass. Her hands twitched once, gripping the bundle as she blinked again. 

"Woah. So...she wasn't...human, huh." 

And it was at that exact moment, that Hiten decided to appear after all. 

***

Just what was the fool girl up to again? The youkai's sensitive ears caught the girl's soft chatter soon after he was done with his cleansing ritual. 

Grooming was rare enough to male youkai like him, but this time, it was necessary - even though the last one he had was but a day ago. The blasted scent of the human girl - the scent that had lingered all over his body ever since the night before - was driving him close to insanity. It was a tingling mixture of the girl's musky odour combined with wildflowers, a scent he was less than unwilling to be acquainted with, And yet almost as defiantly as its wretched owner, the scent did just that. 

So hair barely dry and left unbraided, he set off. Just as he rounded a row of boulders, a low growl rolled in his throat instinctively. It was needless to say that the youkai's mood had plummeted and darkened considerably the entire morning. And just when he thought it couldn't have been any worse - not that it was of any actual significance - the sight of luscious, womanly curves and alluring, white human flesh presented itself like a platter of delicacies before him.

A sudden heat tore through the youkai, and left his senses fairly wrecked when he noticed the faint pink blush that tinged the rise of the female's soft breasts - though a good half of them were covered by the strange cloth that seemed to be like a second skin - and took in a waft of the very smell he had spent the entire morning washing off.

"Hiten!" She cried.

"And what," he roared back in frustration, "are you doing!" 

The wench stopped several meters away from him, a broad smile frozen on her pinked face. "I was just...going to show you something." 

Unaware of the actual intention and meaning behind his question, the little fool gave another one of her sheepish grin, holding up a bundle in her small hands. "Look. I was given...this." 

He couldn't be any less concerned if she had presented him with a taiyoukai's pelt as a trophy. 

The throbbing vein in his head flushed with blood as he struggled to maintain a stoic facade.

More than anything, it _baffled_ him. He had never known that the sight and smell of a scantily clad female human _child_, could be this...potent. Naked females were aplenty, and commonplace - he had only to perform a summoning, for them to present themselves more than willingly before him, should the need arise. Hadn't he just seen this wench naked barely two mornings ago? It was of no consequence than, and he would be damned if it should be any different now. 

Disallowing any further thoughts, he channelled his attention to the object that she held presented towards him. 

"And why should this be of any interest to me?" He barked. 

"Oh, don't be such a grouch." The girl chided, but continued smiling, face flushed and eyes bright. "I met...someone. I don't know who, but I saved her laundry, and she gave this to me, then, well...she disappeared."

"..." 

"Stop staring at me like that! In case you're going to tell me off again, I _haven't_ opened it. I thought it would be better if I brought this to you." She peered up at him curiously, awaiting his reaction. "She was beautiful, you know. Almost like you." 

His eyebrow twitched once, when he saw the human wince at her last sentence.

"I mean, she was beautiful! Not, like you, well not that I'm saying you're ugly or anything, but...oh just take a look at this!"

He seemed to take a curious pleasure at the girl's predicaments, because whenever her ceaseless speech took on any semblance of a fluster, it just made him feel a confounded urge to smile. 

"Well what do you wait for, then. Open the damned thing."

The girl coughed, and looked at him warily. "If you say so...but don't blame me if anything happens! Not that me saying that would help much...you always blame me when something happens." She trailed of into a mutter, although Hiten could hear it perfectly well. His eyebrow twitched again.

***

_Of course, he's probably thinking that if anything were to happen, I would take the full brunt of it, obviously since I'm the one holding the_ - Kagome caught herself mid-thought and bit down on her lips. If anything _were _to happen to her, then who would be the one to get her out of trouble, but the youkai himself. 

Kagome inhaled then exhaled deeply. Well she had been given the green light by the youkai in any case...

"I will, in due time. Let me just put on some things first..." 

Minutes later, the contents of the large backpack were rummaged through and spilt; Kagome was clean, dry and decently attired - a black, woollen sweatshirt, with a navy blue skirt. And shoes, at last. She had almost forgotten the blissful comfort it provided, to the soles of her feet. 

"Well that takes care of that," she piped, thoroughly cheered. The familiar weight of her backpack was slung behind her, and it comforted her this much, to be reminded that she _wasn't _alone.

Cradling the small heavy package in the crook of her left arm and against her abdomen, she undid the loose knot on top. It slipped open with ease, revealing a small, mahogany chest, with intricate carvings on the lid. Slender fingers brushed over the beautiful markings softly, tracing over the curled phoenixes and the swirling clouds. If anything, this seemed almost like some precious antique. 

Carefully, the lid was lifted, to reveal...

A few rice onigiri, a little whistle that looked like one of Shippou's leaf, and a tiny, ornate handheld mirror. And...

A Shikon no Tama shard.

If Kagome had a looser grip on herself, the contents would have tumbled out of the chest. "A shard! What is it..." 

A guttural sound made her take a large step backward reflexively, wary eyes flickering up.

"Oh no...Hiten..."

Brown orbs widened with panic, captured by fearful crimson ones. The thunder youkai was rapidly transforming, even as Kagome watched on with growing terror. A few steps more, and she was fleeing for her dear life. The chest, with its contents, was clutched against her, as she turned tails and ran. A dull pain soon ripped through her pounding legs; burning lungs soon cried for air, as undergrowth and tree branches whizzed past in her frenzy for escape, tearing and gashing at skin in the process. 

Dear kami, of all things, why a Shikon shard?? 

She would have been ecstatic on other occasions, but not now. Not with a youkai like Hiten. It took all her effort to erase the looming terrible red gaze from her mind's eye, even as she dodged and darted frantically through the forest.

Why she was running, she really hadn't a clue. If anything, it was on a purely instinctive basis. 

Of course, there _was_ the sudden reminder that of Hiten's bestial nature - a side Kagome hadn't witnessed in a long, long time. 

"Oof!" A second later, the breath was knocked out of the petrified schoolgirl, as she was tossed violently through the air and caught by the scruff of her sweater. 

"Why are you running?" The gravely snarl was nothing like Hiten's smooth, melodious baritone. 

She said nothing - _could_ say nothing. Pale mouth gaped wide; fearful brown eyes stung with unshed tears. Yet she blinked, a stubborn refusal to cry in front of this beast, to show more fear than she could help. Dangling legs struggled, before resigning to their fate. The grip was cast in iron, and nothing would release its hold. 

Crimson orbs rolled wildly, focused on nothing and everything. 

"Why did you run from me?" The enraged youkai shook Kagome so hard, her teeth rattled. "Speak!" 

Kagome winced and her vision spinned painfully. "I don't know. You...you frighten me." 

It seemed as if he needed time to absorb her words. He was silent, save for incoherent snorting and low snarls. He seemed to be studying her with like an animal would, a foreign object. Wary, curious, ready to attack at the slightest hint of a threat. Searching. A chill ran up her spine as she was reminded of Inuyasha as a full youkai.

Lowering his head till it was level with hers, bloodshot red eyes peered into her ones, as though searching through her soul. The urge to flinch was incredible but Kagome held her ground and returned his gaze.

"I...frighten you?" And despite the rabid quality of his voice, he seemed almost...puzzled. Uncertain. Eyes that burnt an angry red were now flashing with a curious light; lips that peeled back over elongated fangs had softened questioningly. 

And, breath catching just a fraction, she would be damned, if, masked by the animalistic noises he made, she heard the very faintest of uttering from him.

"But I did not mean to frighten you."

Kagome said nothing, but jumped when his hot breath blew softly against her neck. A little closer, and the tip of his nose was nuzzling her flesh, going in circles around her sensitive skin. She shivered at the foreign sensation his actions caused. 

"Stop that!" She gasped, breathless. And whether it was her inability to protest against this strange treatment - or unwillingness, she wasn't even sure herself. 

He mumbled and growled incoherently, finally pausing long enough to lift his head and stare into her eyes.

_Of course I was frightened. The look on your face when you saw that shard... _Grimly, she awaited his next move. She sighed, almost resigned to the compromising position she was in. Logic had long fled from this strange chain of occurrences - it had been pretty much inapplicable ever since Hiten had whisked her away anyway. _Well at least he isn't all fierce and demon-like now? _

The puzzling, if maddening fact was, he was behaving much too strangely.

She discovered with a start that she had been lowered onto the ground, and was leaning length for length against him. The wooden chest that she held forgotten, was the only object separating their melded bodies. She stumbled backwards. A low growl in his chest, he caught her immediately, pressing against the small of her back. 

But not before the chest was released from her grip. 

With a soft thud, its contents tumbled out - at the exact same moment that Hiten seemed to be jolted by some life wire. Harder than Kagome deemed necessary, he radiated a wave of youki, its pressure shoving her back and landing the bewildered schoolgirl on her rump. 

What in seven hells might I ask, were you doing to me, this time, little wench.

On the ground beside them, nestled between the grass, the little handheld mirror lay. Its strange, opalescent glow flickered for a second more, and then extinguished.

- end chapter 13 -

* * *

  
**A/N**: And that's that. Certainly not my best of chapters, I must admit. I stopped writing for almost half a year, after all. I am actually not very pleased with how this turned out. But fear not, in true Kagome spirit, I _shall_ persevere! And it helps so much, that so many of you have been leaving wonderful words of encouragement for me. Thank you so very much, and I love all of you dears!!   
  
Well as always, I would appreciate it tons if anyone would leave in-depth criticism, about plot, pacing, characterization, and the likes While it is always nice to receive praise, I do so want to improve on my writing ;) So go ahead, and fire at will! (And no, I don't mean flames lo.)  
  


**[Crossoverlovr]** - Thank you for the appraisal ^-^ Well you're just in time to catch chapter 13, considering how long I've put off writing it - about 6 months now lol. I just have the nagging suspicion that Kagome seems to be lacking a little...something. Believability, maybe. I should probably get things a little more organized ;-)

**[Sakura Istar]** - It's a real pleasure knowing that you enjoyed Hiten and Kagome, my dear ^_^ I do so want more people to know and love this couple lol. Thank you!

**[Like-anyother]** - This must have been one of the most encouraging reviews I've had in a while now! I love all of them to bits, but its always uplifting to know that reader is actually paying attention to your characterizations, instead of just the waff factor. Thank you so very much! And I'm relief you didn't find it too slow. I want to work up the pace, but there's just a chockfull of details I want to add in lol. This might be well on its way to becoming an epic (lengthwise, of course) of sorts ^_^; 

**[HebiYoukai]** - Here ya go, just for asking so nicely :-) I hope you like the new chapter!

**[Evil Kitten_Child]** - lol I should be renamed 'evil-cacat' huh. I never ever meant to keep anyone in suspense though :-( *points at a nasty little bugger called work* 

**[Jakotsu22]** - Well I'll have to welcome you then :)

**[Shinigami Clara]** - Sorry about the confusion :( It's just that I this strange little obsession for suspense lol. In any case, thank you for reviewing!

**[silver rose petal4]** - Well if you're interested at all, I have a little shrine for hiten/kagome at ^_^. It isn't open to the public yet, but about 1/4 of it is done already. Have a lookie! And thank you muchly ^_^

**[animeotaku55567]** - yes, I am aware of it, careless me :P 

**[Meiko Kazuke]** - Well if you want more fluff, then I'm afraid this isn't the fic for you :-) Was I making Kagome too naive? I will certainly look into that. It's been troubling me for awhile now, to be honest. Thank you for pointing it out ^_^

**[DS]** - there there *pats back and hands a warm cup of ginger ale* I would very much love to encourage more people to write, so I will continue! *winks*

**[kiwi93089]** - Wow. Talk about a series of reviews lol. Thank you for leaving them, dear. Much chicken soup for this author's soul ^_^

**[Iron Lotus]** - Hmm. *Spends the rest of the morning thinking up a reply cool enough to match this review, gives up, and bows to Iron Lotus's spontaneous outburst instead ^^*

**[Bunnie-chan]** - Here's an update for ya! Terribly sorry if I've kept you waiting! 

**[PhantomAngel17]** - I don't normally give spoilers, but fear not, this is MOST certainly a Hiten/Kagome fic!!

**[ms.evil]** - I've been re-reading your nice little review for a while now ;) Yes, I am not exactly tolerant of them either, but neither do I want to be an accomplice in an avoidable crime, hence the revision, I would suppose :-) Well I do hope your writer's block has been unstuck! It could take some time, but once you get the flow back, things should be fine. Good luck, in any case! (And yes, I do intend to make FULL use of cliffhangers ^_^)

**[Sakura Istar]** - *blushes wildly* Thank you so much! I'm excited enough that you liked Hiten/Kagome!

**[Syanide]** - *blushes yet again* Beautiful might be too good a word for my baby, but thank you nonetheless! Regarding your questions - It was really a paranormal occurrence of sorts - inexplicable, really. Basically, the mother and son are skeletal youkai in disguise as human - as is the house. It is only during nightfall, in which the true nature of everything is surrounded. Some sort of curse, I would suppose. As for the 'wind', it was a massive gathering of the unrested dead spirits. I hope that cleared up some of your doubts ^_^ And oh, thank you, thank you. You can't imagine how nice and wiggly your 'imagination of the scene' makes an author :D

**[Sera Luanma]** - *sighs at the eloquent review* It made my day, really. I appreciated that very much :) I'll just pop over and read your review a few more times ^_^ Not exactly a 'soon' later, but it's Finally here eh ;)

**[DeathAngelRn]** - well ya know what? I was backed into a corner, again! Fortunately (or not) I took about...half a year, to get back into the swing of things again :P I do hope I"m back for good this time! *g*

**[Ms. Videl Son]** - well eh yea. (It feels so funny, replying to a review that was left about half a year ago lol.) Sorry about the long A/N. But you do know how carried away I can get sometimes :P

**[Kaze no Kagura]** - Aw. You shouldn't have =^_^= There are tons of authors better than me at ffn, but thank you very muchly, all the same! You flatter me so ;) 

**[Aama]** - Thanks for the excellent beta-read, hon! Thanks to your questions, I've cleared up the potentially confusing bits in this chapter. I had to add in the disgusted bit though, because it is his nature as a youkai, or so I assume anyway. And BIIG smile it definitely gives me. Reviews like yours just make me want to go on, just to do full justice to the review, ya know ^_~ Well what have you been up to?! Tansho has been updated quite abit, I can see. I've got quite alot of catching up to do :) My email has changed, by the way! You can contact me at eineerha@petalrust.com now!

**[Icing Flower]** - You certainly are a patient reader, especially considering how confused my story made you, to have read it from beginning to end lol. I have to apologize for making this too complex though. I must admit, I am a sucker for sub plots, and twists and turns here and there Maybe you could consider a lighter, fluffier fiction to pick up next time :-) (Goes without saying, of course.) 

**[EternalLove]** - Thank you dear! I do try my best to fill in the details, so that it is easier for the audience to visualize the scenes ;) Of course, I had my fun as well! 

**[aoko]** - oh dear...I don't really intend to make Inuyasha suffer. For now, at least ;) That will be somewhere later :X And don't worry, I do have the tendency of indulging in ample waff, once in a while, for a treat. Hopefully not unnecessary though.

**[Massao-na-Mizu]** - of course you may use the idea! I claim no copyrights :) How is the Hiten/Kagome round robin going though? It seems to have mysteriously disappeared somewhere along the way, in a_i_r :-( I was so hoping to read it!

**[lynnxlady]** - Oh please do! (Write a Hiten/Kag fic I mean) You've got an excellent depiction of Kanna in your fic, Blurred Reflections. It was one of the stories that inspired me to work even more on my own characterizations ^_^

**[kokonutsu]** - aww. That was so darling of you! You don't know how flattering it is, to have your fic have priority over Harry Potter! Goodness! certainly hope it met up with your expectations though! As for not having travelled far, well that must be because of my chapter-a-day pacing (Each chapter takes place more or less after, or during a day) ^_^; At this rate, the story might even turn into a thirty chapter long one O_o. 

**[Mistress-Pen] **- Thanks for clearing that up, hon :) I am being careful not to get too carried away with the descriptions though, so please do let me know, if I ever step over the boundary ^_^

**[Oneiropolos]** - Aww! *smiles back goofily* Always nice to hear that in a review. It certainly makes _my_ day~ Thank you! I just hope I haven't been polishing up Hiten's pedestal a little too much ^_^;

**[Black Rose Lady]** - Hey there honey! How's it going with your guy ^_~? Haven't talked to you in a while :) You really are too kind. I love it when you review! *Grins* Thank you!!

**[icka]** - Woopsie. Caught that little flaw huh ;) I might have to revise that one. Thank you for pointing it out!

**[Sulia Serafine]** - I have to apologize for taking such a long time to update this chapter! *Bows* Much thanks!

**[Cin of an Angel]** - Why I'm flattered! And yes, it is always fun toying with Hiten ;) Your stories are so wonderfully humorous, especially 'Good Enough!' Now that's what I call an addictive little gem ^_~

**[Kapt. Nemo]** - A fanart? You have absolutely got to let me see it! I have a Hiten/Kagome shrine at and I would be TONS happy, if you could contribute fanart *shameless hint*~

**[SimplyTurquoise]** - He didn't exactly laugh in her face, but you got pretty close ;-) Then again, I never really like writing predictable plots, so you pretty much forewarned me about what _not_ to write *winks*

**[dumdeedum]** - It's awesome that you think so! I really am glad :D I stopped writing for quite awhile though, so I hope this chapter didn't get too off with the descriptions. And I fully intended for Hiten's unpredictability - I am ecstatic that you find him so! Thank you for this wonderful review!

**[sailorruss]** - Apparently, it took me six months to come up with this new chapter *blushes* Thousand hugs and kisses back to ya!

  
  
And to the rest of you darlings, I appreciate each and every one of your reviews! It is really sweet that you take the time to leave them for me. Thank you! Distant Thunder has gone this far, because of all of you :D Here's a toast of honey chocolate champagne ^___^ *clinks glass*


	14. Cry Me a Crimson River

**08.12.08**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.

This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reijuu brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^

The plot's going to be kind of dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to develop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (I'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

**A/N**: PHEW. What a long hiatus, huh. I apologize DEEPLY for the writing - I haven't been doing this for so long O_O!! - and for those who still remember, and are still reading, thank you so much! I was recently emailed by a reader, Raven, aka Azami. (I don't know if that's her correct handle, but nevertheless, thanks, Raven!) and that prompted me to give this another try. I can't guarantee when will be the next time I am able to post a new chapter, but please know that I still love you guys all the same :D

* * *

**Distant Thunder  
(PART II)**

**Chapter 14**: Cry Me a Crimson River

Damp, mouldy wood filled his sensitive nose. He took in the faint groove on the muddy grass, trodden and trampled on countless times, as tiny insects, pale white in the moonlight, flitted above the well's opening, dodging left, then to the right, sometimes disappearing.

Arms crossed and legs firmly apart, the hanyou surveyed the well in the dark, keen senses reaching out to catch even a whiff of her scent, a tinkle of laughter. There was none. Only a cold, stale trace of that silver object remained – metal, she'd called it. she'd used as transport, barely days ago; not a hint of Kagome's familiar scent was left.

He inhaled deeply one last time.

Then stumbled backwards.

It was her.

Her slender, red and white form slipped out from the shadows and into the moonlit clearing beside the well.

He bristled, crouching forward and stiffened his muscles ever so slightly.

"The night is dying."

"You should not be here."

"The night is cursed, Inuyasha, eternally. Cursed with creatures that should never have been here."

"You should not be here. Don't force me any further, Kikyo." Inuyasha's left hand reached for Tessaiga, then dropped. He'd forgotten. There was nothing to protect, for now.

She turned away from him slowly, as if in a trance, turning her face toward the silent, heavy black sky. "It has been four days, Inuyasha." Her voice was a whisper, low and husky, as it had always been, before everything went wrong. "Do you not wish for her return?"

The hanyou growled softly but remained still. Clay permeated his sense of smell now, bittersweet, and ancient, replacing that of the metal. "You have been calling for me. Why." It was a demand, not a question.

She did not reply, instead stepping softly towards him. Immediately, Inuyasha assumed battle stance. It was sheer primal instinct. And yet, she continued, treading lightly but never slowing, until her hands were upon his, and his eyes were locked with hers. Pale blue, like frozen lakes in the winter, he realised. They were never this pale, not before. They used to be a deep, deep summer sky blue...

"I know where she is, Inuyasha."

Kikyo's fingers were on his cheeks now, a slow, soft caress, surprisingly warm. Letting out his breath slowly, he touched her fingers.

"Let me join you."

***

Kagome had nothing to say, for once, not even a protest, or a complaint. Unconsciously gritting her teeth together, she drew the zipper of her sleeping bag till only her face was revealed. She shifted uncomfortably against the large cedar tree she rested her back against, adjusting the sharp angle of the mysterious box that was buried deep within her sleeping bag.

With wary eyes, she watched the silent figure hulking in the shadows, a distance away from her fire.

She itched badly to ask him if he'd remembered what had happened, what was going on, even. But it was one thing to die of curiousity, and another to die of torn limbs, gutted intestines and a broken neck.

One minute he was a crazed writhing mass of insanity, snarling and feral and unpredictable. The next, he'd leapt into murky grey depths of the forest, leaving her slumped on the grass, legs weak with fear.

Kagome turned her gaze to the small crackling fire that she'd started not long after his bizarre departure. She certainly didn't want to set off on her own, but she couldn't have stood around doing nothing. So she'd done the next best thing she could - set up camp.

Then he'd returned, just like that, when she'd been about to catch what little rest she could.

She remembered the sudden burst of dark, crackling energy, signaling his arrival, the ever present aura of barely concealed anger and hatred. She'd jumped, then strained her eyes, at last pinpointing the faint outline of the thunder youkai as he'd settled himself in the shadows of trees ahead of her.

Now, he was watching her too, she was fully aware.

Even in the dark, his eerie gaze left her heart crawling.

Every second they spent together seemed to add a wrinkle on the pages of her life, a small crease one would hardly notice, but once left behind, probably couldn't be ironed out as easily.

As she gradually lost consciousness, she found herself thinking of another pair of eyes that had always, without fail, watched her, guarded her, while she slept. Gold, shimmering eyes with an intensity that burned. Gold, soulful eyes shimmering with volumes of emotion – angry, annoyed, surprised, forlorn...

Inuyasha...

***

"- the woman hostage."

"What?" Kagome looked up, then blinked, clearing her throat. She grabbed a long stick from the ground and prodded the fire that she had rekindled, a source of warmth in the chilly morning air of the forest. In truth though, she was doing all she could, NOT to get sucked in by the vision of Hiten - body glistening with what appeared to be a faint sheen of morning dew, chest and arm muscles rippling with power even as he seemed to carry with liquid ease an immense boar across one side of his broad shoulders, the stark angles of his handsome face strangely softened, lit by the warm morning sun, muscles rippling with power...

"- to the master."

"Er...I'm sorry, what?" Kagome's eyes flicked up abruptly from a region that seemed suspiciously like Hiten's rippling abdomen. _Concentrate, Kagome! It's not like you've never seen Inuyasha half naked like this, even though he was only little more than a teenaged boy, whereas Hiten...Hiten..._

Then, Hiten tossed the gigantic boar on the ground, leaning almost casually against a grey tree next to him.

"This is my _breakfast_, woman." He said. With a violent jerk and a sickening crunch, he twisted the head off the boar, immediately cutting off Kagome's vision of heaven and replacing it with a sort of hell-for-lustful-people. Even from across the pile of charred firewood in the middle of their little campsite, Kagome could see the fresh blood spewing from the giant boar's ruptured neck, drenching Hiten's face, body and forearms a dark, nasty red. Suddenly, she felt like gagging.

"Not a pleasant fate, don't you think?" He proceeded to skin the boar methodically, cold, flat eyes never leaving hers.

"You don't say," Kagome muttered. Seasoned as she was with hunting and dismembering youkai, she had never acquired the stomach for needless animal slaughter. She was forced to look away when the youkai ripped a chunk of flesh and pushed it into his mouth.

"I thought powerful youkai like you don't have to eat to survive." She grated out, pointedly ignoring the message that the unsubtle youkai was sending to her - pay attention, or end up like a headless boar caught in his oh-so-gentle embrace.

"Oh, but we do. Back to what I was unsuccessfully proposing - and please, do pay attention this time - might I kindly suggest holding the woman hostage - a lure or bait if you may, for the master who I assume holds the key to this dastardly enchantment."

"OK..." Kagome said slowly. She carefully handed him a piece of tissue that she'd rummaged from her bag. "As much as I appreciate your excellent table manners...here, you have a drop of goo on your chin. Little to the left."

Visions of violence and gore, always with the thunder youkai in the midst of them all, flashed through her head.

Suddenly, she seemed to know why the strange twist of destiny had lead her to Hiten. Slowly the little clockworks in her brain began ticking, as a determination of her own began forming in her head. A determination that would require a strong and steady heart, as she realized slowly that each day she was bound to his side, she _needed_ to stop this youkai's rampage of bloodshed and death.

"Your brilliant plan to take over the world just might work, but let me do it instead."

He shot a wary look at her, eyeing the tissue with contempt and instead chose to drag his hand across blood drenched lips.

"Well it would be best, if you ask me. That way she wouldn't be cautious. I could...I could tell her that I was returning her things, maybe?" Plaster fake smile, act dumb was always the route to take with egomaniacal, homicidal males.

"Nobody is asking you, human." Snap, chew, spit. "Because if you fail..." snap. The thigh of the boar dangled loosely from its body, and Kagome stared back at the youkai.

***

Kagome sat precariously on a boulder, swishing her bare feet in the water. She couldn't resist the allure of hot springs, after all, although said allure was at the moment considerably dampened by the prospect of being kidnapper to river spirit girl. _And,_ by the pair of ominous red eyes that, while well hidden in the shadows of nearby trees, were burning well into the back of her head.

With a quick shimmy of her lithe body, Kagome was lying flat on her tummy by the grass. She allowed her arm to dangle deeper into the waters and her skin stung a little at the sudden heat of the spring. She splashed the water about, to make sure the youkai knew she hadn't attempted to escape. It wasn't necessary of course, but it was just to be safe.

Suddenly, above the swish of water and the quiet creaks of the cicadas, light footsteps crunched through the damp grass to her left, and the river girl emerged, plain clothed as ever, but radiating that same ethereal glow as before.

"He-hello there," Kagome called out, louder than necessary. She clambered down, hefted the heavy bag across her shoulder and made her way carefully towards the lady. Her eyes darted around, scanning for any sign of the thunder youkai. "I was waiting for you."

The woman started, her leg bumping into the basket that she had set on the ground. It fell forward and its contents spilled out - the same bright red garments that the woman had been soaking in the hot spring the day before. The woman's senses were dull, Kagome realized aghast, especially when compared with the primitive, beast-like instincts of the likes of Hiten, or even Inuyasha.

"Greetings, fair maiden. You have returned again today, I see." The woman's soft, reedy voice called out.

"Yes. I have your things awaiting you, in my bag. Er, I'll make this quick." _Or we'll both end up like headless boars, lady!_ Kagome sneaked a peek to her left, then her right. "As you should know, It isn't safe here, an-and there are demons in this region."

She could swear the intensity of Hiten's gaze, wherever he had hidden himself, had intensified. She did have to make this quick afterall. "So...why don't I come over first..." As she talked, she circled the banks of the hot spring, inching nearer to the girl.

"Yes, child, that I am aware of." The girl remained unmoving initially, then there was a significant change in her stance, as if suddenly hit by a sort of realization that Kagome's words had brought. "What are you trying to concur?"

"Well, RUN, NOW!"

Kagome leapt forward just as a thunderous growl erupted from the lurking shadows. She pushed the girl to the ground and collided right into the thunder youkai that burst from the undergrowth. The girl didn't hesitate for a second, instantly disappearing in a swirl of ice-cold mist.

"The fuck do you think you're doing, human!"

"No, listen to me, Hiten!" She was flipped onto her back in a split second, and was now damn close to screaming her head off in terror as the youkai's huge forearm crushed her throat while his knee was dug painfully into her belly. "Listen, you insufferable brute!"

"A contradiction in itself, don't you think. Name me an insufferable brute who listens."

If the red swirls in his eyes weren't indication of his furious rage, she would have actually been tempted to enter the thunder youkai as a possible applicant, just to annoy him. "Look, I know what I'm doing, OK? Think about it, what if we had abducted her, and what if -"

"Screw the what-if's, wench." he stated flatly even as he lifted his other arm into the air, fingers curving into deadly talons.

"No, nono waitwaitwait! We can NOT afford to anger her master now, you hear me? We have nothing to gain and everything to lose!" She struggled valiantly under the youkai's deadly grasp, choking out her words painfully. "Anyone who manages to trap you, Hiten, is not someone you would want to offend, right?!"

He snarled, then stopped.

Kagome scrambled backwards immediately, drawing furious gasps of air. _I might seriously get used to this_, her mind thought giddily. _Umm...no. On second thoughts, I doubt it – _

Then paused mid-thought as the earth beneath them lurched with a massive jolt.

Kagome felt herself lunge upward suddenly, treetops hurtling towards her even as her insides seemed to disappear.

It took her a few moments of frenzied disorientation and being rudely acquainted to rough, brown bark to realise that Hiten had done his flying thing and transported the both of them high atop a gigantic tree – the youkai now crouched low beside her, and Kagome was sprawled over the snaking boroughs of the tree, bag slumped at her side.

It took her another few seconds, to comprehend the furious red lava that was now spewing like a monstrous volcano out of the hot spring, even as the ground shook and trembled below them – deadly, acidic lava that had melted the solid rock formation of the hot spring, and would have swallowed them both alive, had the thunder youkai been a second too late to react.

"Oh dear...Hiten...please tell me that this is your doing..." Kagome muttered in horror, even as a massive reptilian head writhed slowly out of the emerging lava with a sickening rumble.

If he had a reply, Kagome couldn't hear it because already, the rumbling had escaded to an ear-splitting roar. Several other heads were already emerging, followed by sinewy necks and huge, veiny wings, dripping with steaming lava that scorched everything it touched to a melted char.

Dragons, she realised. Horrible, mutated dragons, unlike the peaceful dragons of the east or the magnificient ones from the west. These were gruesome, bright red nightmarish creatures, covered with oozing sores and slimey skin, and rows and rows of decaying teeth.

"Hell spawn, straight from the bowels of hell," she heard the youkai mumble beside her. "I've battled these before."

"I-I don't think I wanted to know that. And I didn't think I would say this, but I hope you won." Kagome said, eyes never leaving the dragons as they crawled to the surface one by one. The hot spring had been transformed into a writhing mass of crimson bodies. Heads snapped at each other and wings unfurled, as trunk-like limbs trampled over trees and boulders as if they were nothing but paper.

Suddenly, a piercing scream sounded.

Before Kagome could clamp her hands over her ears, the dragons had burst into the air as if summoned by that screaming call, leaving burning trails of lava and scorching hot wind behind. On reflex, Kagome grabbed Hiten's waist, plastering him down to the wide branch and barely avoiding the searing blast of a chunk of lava.

They lay hunkered down for what seemed like minutes, before the shaking and the heat finally subsided. When Kagome looked up, desperation and terror sank in slowly. The entire section of forest had been flattened to a steaming mess, and not a tree or rock remained. It was as if someone had placed an entire tub of icecream in the hot noon sun and it had melted. Except that this one was scorching hot.

"Come on, let's get out of this place," Kagome said shakily, placing her hands atop Hiten's shoulder. She was about to swing a leg across his wide back when she froze. In fact, it was safe to say that the both of them froze simultaneously.

***

It shook his nerves considerably when the Hell Spawns had first emerged. Violent scenes of blood and flesh - _his_ blood and flesh, burst in painful flashes through his brain. "Hell spawn, straight from the bowels of hell," he heard his own voice, and then the girl's. But the words seemed distant, alien.

_This _however, became his reality. The constant sear of unspeakable pain, as the dragons surrounded him in packs, hunted him down, _ate_ him alive...

Over, and over again.

He thought he'd escaped, but suddenly, the living hell he thought he had left behind, returned.

Then he was lying flat, a soft, warm body pressed hard against his back - the girl's - moments before a searing blast flew above their heads. And he was trembling, he realised. So badly shaken, he could hardly form any coherent sentence, or thought.

The girl, who he had felt straddling his back, apparently out of habit more than anything else, stopped just as he did.

But just this once, he would allow her foolishness to slide past, if only because he was too shocked by the Hell Spawn's sudden arrival.

Wordlessly, he cupped the bottom of the human's thighs and with a powerful leap leapt away from the tree into the brilliant afternoon sky.

- end chapter 14 -


	15. The Role of a Seducer

**7th Jan 2009**

**SUMMARY: **When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she would have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/Kagome)

**DISCLAIMER**: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.

This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reijuu brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^

The plot's going to be kind of dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberty to develop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (I'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^

**A/N**: An update :D This is a rather important chapter because it explains quite a few things, as well as some long needed waff at the end :D So Enjoy, and comments are so very loved ^_^

* * *

**Distant Thunder****  
(PART II)**

**Chapter 15**: Role of The Seducer

They resumed the journey in silence, a silence which Kagome kept wisely. She'd decided that the term holding your tongue was more than apt on this occasion. That which had transgressed between the demon and the recent turn of events was alarming, to say the least. Kagome had thought the demon to be virtually unshakable, indestructible, and most importantly, heartless. And yet what Hiten had radiated was such a tangible vibe of fear that Kagome wasn't sure she should be feeling this calm, at the moment. But of course, someone had to be level headed, and she wasn't quite sure if this time, the youkai was up to it.

The landscape had been charred badly by the fiery heat of the hell dragons, a burning path that they had created in their wake. It didn't take a youkai's supernatural sense of sight to track the black, winding trail of destruction which lead southwest, disappearing on the horizon. The strange pair had headed straight to the enchanted mountains by air, which Kagome had calmly suggested and the youkai had acceded to without so much as a grunt. Then, once the sky turned a purplish orange hue ('Hell Spawns arrive by the cloak of the night', was all Hiten had let on), Kagome was herded by the brooding youkai into a dank cave which reeked of the noxious sweetness of rot and things Kagome would rather not be aware of. Despite its tiny, door sized entrance, the cave, was large – enormous, in fact, and lit by strange, luminous rocks which glowed an eerie white in the otherwise dark cave. The back of the cave was pitch black, leading far and deep into unknown depths.

When Kagome had returned with an armful of branches and twigs just outside the entrance, she had found the youkai seated slumped against a rocky wall, his typical frown hanging darker than usual on his face.

She arranged herself several meters away from him without a word – far enough to keep a safe distance from the youkai, near enough should any danger approach – and proceeded to build a fire with the material she had collected.

20 minutes into it, the fire was still barely lit, with only a faint orange glow that Kagome had to keep alight with a makeshift paper fan. It was too damp, she realized, aghast. And there wasn't enough oxygen in the cave to sustain a small fire.

"Some supernatural help would be very much appreciated here," she called out, a little too loudly. Shooting a glance at the demon, it was once again decided that silence was gold. The youkai had on his newfound expression – a black, hollow stare that seemed to draw all that he looked upon into unknown depths.

She was certainly no owner of Youkai 101 or Youkai for Dummies, reluctant as she was to admit it. After all, she was prized village miko and all. It grated on her pride, more than she'd like. Despite all the contact she'd had with Inuyasha, Kirara, Shippou and the extraordinarily large group of supernatural beings that she'd made acquaintance with, all she knew of youkai were really just their strong, primitive instincts to survive and if need be, to kill to do so. Sure, Shippou and Inuyasha, even Kouga, would have given eye and teeth for her, and she for them. But when it came down to it, the unspoken distance that separated youkai from human had been skirted around carefully, a taboo topic to avoid in their group. It was her love of them as family, that glued them together, despite their apparent differences. It was her strong, all consuming love for those strange yet comfortingly familiar creatures that had stopped her from questioning.

But now here was a completely different form of youkai – one that should have been standing on the other side of the line from Kagome and her friends, on the fields of battle, laughing maniacally and scaring the heck out of Kagome and little Shippou. Here was a creature that Inuyasha had fought with much difficulty, and had terrorized Shippou's family. He should have been killing for the lust of power, for the greed of battle, for the love of bloodshed. And so Kagome had held on, steadfast to this belief, a life buoy that consisted of good and evil, right and wrong.

Yet now, her believes were being shaken, growing weaker at every moment spent with this enigmatic creature. A bloodthirsty, crazed and absurdly handsome youkai who seemed to spare her more moments of mercy and – dare she say it – care, than she thought she'd receive.

And here was this youkai now, looking so startlingly vulnerable, so un-youkai-like, that her heart skipped a beat. With what, she didn't know, didn't really want to find out either. All she knew was that it bothered her to see a creature this powerful, and fear-inspiring, to be reduced to a dull mass slouched in a corner of a cave.

Kagome patted her bag pack absently, arranging it in the best possible position to lean against. In all honesty, it wasn't wrong to say that the thunder youkai had always walked with a bit of a slouch, almost as if he would disappear within the shadows if you so much as blinked an eye. Like a stalking panther. He wasn't always a rod-straight person, unlike some youkai like say, Inuyasha's aniki, Sesshoumaru (who had always been more of a horse, than any predatory animal to her. Naraku, now this was one sick puppy. Platypus, most likely. Or maybe starfish).

BUT.

And it was a huge but – Hiten wasn't simply slouching now, as he usually did. The youkai had always been big, tall, and solid as a rock (she suspected he would be caught dead before appearing frumpy). As if you could get an entire team of rugby player to ram into him, and they would have been the ones being flung away like mere leaves. But now, the animal magnetism and inhuman strength that Kagome had began adjusting herself to, seemed to have been diminished, leaving what seemed almost like a mere mortal man, defenseless, sullen, and in need of a big hug...

Pushing aside her treacherous heart, the girl was rather adamant that one could not afford pity for a youkai as dangerous as Hiten. Reluctant respect wrought out of fear and gratitude was one matter; pity, was another. It meant that she herself would be opening a window in her heart, letting him in. And that was definitely _not_ a wise thing to do.

With unease, Kagome returned to her task on hand. The fire had began to kindle, but it was a small one, barely slithering out from beneath the wood. She fanned harder. Already, her arms were aching and her stomach was growling. It was just one cup of ramen since morning. Visions of roasted chicken, steamed fish and sweet corn flashed across her mind.

It was to her utmost shock when a rough shoe grazed across her hand and shoved the paper fan roughly out of the way.

She looked on mutely as two clothed feet stepped up beside her. Craning her head, she saw that the youkai had come to stand near the huge pile of wood. He was holding out an arm now and already, the air in front of him was rippling with unseen electricity. She thought she saw a spark or two emitting from his cupped palm. Then with a hiss, the fire roared to life, sending a flash of heat across Kagome's face. Kagome stared up at the youkai's expressionless profile, before rousing from her shock to delve into her bag pack and fish out a kettle, a couple of ramen bowls, two pairs of chopsticks, and the boar meat that she had packed neatly into a plastic container.

"This is gonna be great," she declared. The paper lids of the ramen were torn carefully apart as she scattered the powdered packets across the tops of the ramen. "Curry, my favorite flavor. You'll love it, I guarantee. Inuya – my friends do, too. Back home, we'd have these every time mama isn't around. Too much preservatives, she always says. Makes our hair fall off. But..."

There was a sudden swirl of wind, and when Kagome looked up, the youkai had disappeared.

She stared at the empty space beside her, then back at the two bowls and let out a sigh. The spark of hope in her eyes dwindled, and she hunched forward, prodding at the crackling fire. "Well...an extra helping for myself isn't going to hurt anyone. I suppose..." _And at least he isn't moping about anymore._

~*~

"A choice location, my lord," the bubbling voice remarked ahead of him.

Hiten remained silent, toying with the round, diaphanous stone he'd acquired, moments before the hot springs had erupted in the morning. The river wench had been careless back then, and a fraction of a second – the time it had taken for that little idiot of a human to assume her role of savior and push the river sprite down to the ground – was all it took for him to retrieve the precious piece of stone that she'd kept within her garments.

"What brings you – and the human lady - to seek me out, my lord."

The water surface rippled gently, then parted. A small shape levitated from the middle of the large lake, slowly revealing the form of a dainty female who seemed to be standing atop the glimmering surface. It took the damned river bitch long enough to find them.

He flicked the stone, allowing it to dance nimbly within his fingers. Its silver light caught in the gentle glow of the limpid emerald waters that spread across the cavern. In and out of his fingers it weaved, before coming to rest between his thumb and index finger. He caressed it absently, and from far, the river nymph seemed to shudder.

"You should know."

Then, the river nymph floated toward him before stepping fully out of the lake with the fluid grace known to her kind, never wet, even though she had just emerged from within the lake. River nymphs were a rare breed – quiet, elegant, capable of traveling through dimensions known only to themselves, by means of rivers and lakes and other bodies of water.

"You want to meet my master."

"Very good. And?"

"...You want to know...about the Hell Spawns."

Hell spawns...hell spawns...hell spawns...

Those two words seemed to mock him with echoes that bounded against the high stalactites of the cavern. Valiantly, Hiten suppressed the urge to grip the wretched spirit by her neck and rip it off her head. He wrenched his mind away from images of the damned monsters that had plagued him for so long. He had conquered those goddamn spawns once – and he sure as hell would do it again if he had to.

He cranked his neck muscles slowly, allowing the tension to seep from his mind, his eyes all the while locked onto the river nymph.

"Not quite. My dear, I do believe I know well enough of them. What I want to know is..._why_ they are here."

"Why here, on _earth_, you mean." The nymph laughed, standing her ground when Hiten stepped up towards her. She was a good head and a half shorter than him, and she was looking up at him now with intelligent gray eyes. "Do you not know, the portals of Hell, that these beauties guard?"

He flicked a finger over the stone piece, bringing it up to his lips absently. "I do."

"Do you know then, who watches over them, my lord?" The nymph shuddered again but remained still. When he did not reply, she continued. "It is none other than your humble servant, myself. Years ago, an enchantment was placed. By my master. The dragons were forced into service. And when you – and your human companion – ambushed me, the dragons were released from their enchantment."

_The red cloth_, Hiten realized. _Those monsters were sealed in the pieces of red cloth..._

"So now you know, my lord..." With an uncharacteristic lunge, the nymph threw her body against Hiten's, pale arms reaching for the tiny object in his grasp.

Hiten held it out of her grasp casually, sighing as he allowed her slender form to mash deliciously against into him. "Ah, ah. Impatience is not a virtue, my dear."

Petulantly, the river nymph slinked back, chastened. She eyed the stone that Hiten held. "I need my soul back."

"You have yet to answer my first question, however."

If anger were possible in such a well-bred race, it was showing visibly, right now. "Neither is betrayal a virtue, my lord. I have sworn loyalty to my master. Leading you to him, is out of the question."

Hiten dragged the piece of stone against his well-formed lips, flicking his tongue against its smooth surface, and watched as the nymph threw her head back, arms clutching against her heaving chest. "No, my lord...please. You must not..."

"Then take me to him."

~*~

"A visitor, hmm." Kagome stared at the pair that had emerged from the cave's pitch-black depths. Hiten's liquid swagger was instantly recognizable, but surprise flickered through her brown eyes when she registered the river nymph who had somehow been summoned by the thunder youkai. He was surprisingly, much more resourceful than she had credited him for, brute force aside. And more importantly, he seemed to have recovered from his strange reverie. Her heart fluttered, for probably no reason in particular.

"Greetings, my lady." The river nymph was courteous, much too courteous, although she was well and apparently unmolested by the usually callous youkai. _A significant improvement from receiving death threats, and being dragged by force of course,_ Kagome thought with relief. Guilt coursed through Kagome and she gave in to her apologetic nature. With a cry, she threw herself against the startled girl and clutched her hands. "It wasn't my idea, I swear."

"I am sure it was not, young one." The nymph cast a glance at the youkai who had settled himself against a gravelly wall. "Do not worry."

She was looking around now, at the little site that Kagome had set up. Kagome's trusty sleeping bag was laid out, and an additional blanket rolled neatly in another corner. The bone-gnawing chill of the cave's air had started to settle, and Hiten, demon as he might be, might still have needed something soft to lay on, at the very least. Now though, it was only right that Kagome surrendered ol' greenie to the maiden – who was so slim that she looked the perfect victim of the 'freeze-your-butt-off' cold. First though, she had to be fed.

"Food. I hope you eat human..." Kagome rummaged through the enormous bagpack, but was stopped by an icy palm against her forearm.

"No. I have no desire for favors, young one. I am only here to fulfill my duty, and then I shall be gone." The woman's cultured but cold gaze flickered over Kagome, settling again on the youkai that stood in the shadows, before looking back at Kagome. With a soft sigh, she settled herself upon the sleeping bag that Kagome had pulled up hastily before her with a light murmur of thanks.

"Oh." Well gee, this was going to be fun, Kagome thought slowly as her eyes fell upon their failed kidnap victim, and the simmering black shadow in a corner that was Hiten.

Now they could all gather 'round and play poker by the fire.

.

Kagome awoke with a jolt.

It was a strangely familiar, yet bizarre sound, the sound of soft moaning and the rustle of clothing. In the pitch black cavern, Kagome suddenly felt cold, prickly ribbons run down her spine, as the fuzz of sleep cleared rapidly from her mind.

_I should just get back to sleep, shouldn't I_, she resolved to herself, folding the blanket firmly, further up around her head. The uneven stone floor scrapped against her skin and she adjusted herself gingerly. And there she was, moments ago, wondering why Hiten was behaving far from his usual self. It seemed like all it took was some strategically placed stimulation, and a little romp in the sack, after all.

_I shouldn't thinking about...about what Hiten and the river lady might be up to. Thinking about how he'd be holding her against him, and how he'd kiss her and caress her body...and HOLY SHIT, what am I thinking about!! _

_Well, not anything much, just how Hiten must have been slowly enjoying the beautiful nymph who would be laying right beside him, and touching his muscular chest and hard arms?!_

Frustrated, Kagome flung the blanket away, sitting up in the dark. She knew that the youkai could probably hear her, but she suddenly couldn't care less.

It took her several moments, and groping about in the dark, for her mortal eyes to adjust to the cave's darkness. When she did, she managed to spot the vague forms of two writhing masses. Bodies of course, that belonged to the thunder youkai and the gorgeous nymph that he had managed to secure by his side.

Annoyance that should have been unwarranted – why the _hell_ should she be concerned over who Hiten was enjoying himself with – coursed through her veins.

Betrayal, was her sudden thought. She felt betrayed. She felt like a small child who'd been forced to give up a precious doll to the neighbor's kid, who'd just come to visit. Which was ridiculous, really. Why should she be feeling as such? There was nothing here that was hers to own, there was nothing that should be affecting her in this way. Well..it was like when she had been little, and a Caucasian man – a friend of her mother's – had visited, and planted a wet, slobbery kiss right in the middle of her mother's lips. It just felt wrong.

_That's right, of course it's wrong, _She thought, exasperated. _Why should I be subjected to that disgusting youkai's m-m-make-out sessions? There's no way that he'd expect me to sit back and let them do _that_ kind of gross stuff where I'm sleeping just meters away – there's not even a wall between us! _

Feeling for all the world like a sourpuss and a major wet-blanket, yet too annoyed to care, Kagome stomped over to where they were located, making sure to tap her sneakers extra loudly against the cold ground.

She stopped several feet away, focusing on the point above their heads. She was most certainly unwilling to take in what was going on between those two youkai, and was about to clear her throat to announce her official arrival, when the gleam of metal – long, and cold and _sharp – _flashed out.

Alarm bells rang immediately. Years of youkai hunting allowed Kagome to instantly recognize the cold gleam of a knife about to strike in the dark. Without a word, Kagome threw her full body weight at the direction of the knife, not caring when the cold hard blade sliced through her palm, and across her cheek. Warm liquid spilled across her arms and face immediately, and she heard someone curse vehemently, while another whimpered.

"The hell do you think you're doing, wench!"

And in the blazing red haze of pain, Kagome wasn't sure who the angry cry was directed to, or who was gripping her so tightly that she felt her bones being crushed.

"No fights...at Kagome's...camp..."

~*~

The river wench would come to him, he knew. They always did – the foxes, the tigers, the snakes, the tree and flower spirits. All he had to do was wait. It wasn't really part of the plan, of course. He just felt it a shame to waste a willing female body –

– and Kami knew how he'd needed the distraction from the appearance of the blasted dragons. _And that damned human's intoxicating scent._

When the river nymph slid a knife out clumsily from her disrobed clothing, Hiten was mildly impressed. So she wasn't completely taken in by his charms. Pity, though it didn't really matter to him.

His hungry lips searched out hers even as his fingers continued their journey up her lithe, smooth back, and after a moment's hesitation, she kissed him back with both urgency and confusion. His fingertips were drawing circles on her back now, his sharp black talons dragging across gentle slopes of pale, ochre-white. It was a back that was reminiscent to that of one he knew – similar yet so different – from ages ago, another almost forgotten memory. The females he'd laid with – those he was fond enough to allow – had remarked that he'd always had a particular obsession with their backs, never paying as much attention to their breasts or even their nether regions as much as they'd liked. He never fully comprehended the reason that held him captivated, either.

But his fingers seemed to remember. And now they searched eagerly, for the right angle, the right curve, the right texture. Still, he never seemed to get it right..._No...not this one either.  
_

He was suddenly aware of the noisy patter of the human girl's footsteps, and before he could orientate himself, she'd landed atop them, knocking the river wench away from him. The blade clattered noisily to the floor and the river nymph cried out, but Hiten was blind to all except the burning scent of Kagome's spilled blood that he recognized so easily now.

"The hell do you think you're doing, wench!" He snarled, even as his hands reached out automatically to cushion the girl's fall.

"No fights...at Kagome's...camp..."

Fitting her soft curves tightly against himself, he gripped the hand that she had so foolishly used to clutch at the blade, wasting no time in using his saliva to heal the nasty red gash that ran across her palm down to the middle of her forearm, before turning to her swollen, split cheek.

He didn't even wonder why he bothered, or why his heart suddenly grew cold at the sight of Kagome's gaping wound. For once, he was too weary to make up anymore excuses for himself, too tired to struggle with his instincts.

_The arrival of the Hell Spawns screwed my mind_, he thought in a haze, even as he rasped his tongue gently against the slashed cheek. When he'd ended his administrations, he gripped the girl firmly and attempted to shake her out of her stupor.

She was in pain, he realized, as he looked on at her, delicate features scrunched tightly together. He could seal the wounds, but he could not lessen the pain.

_You're a bloody little idiot_, he cursed albeit halfheartedly, eyes never leaving her sweat peppered face. He wiped the drenched black hair from her face, careful not to let the stray strands catch on the crusty bits of flesh that remained. She was conscious, though barely so. And he realized that she was struggling to keep awake. She was struggling to say something.

Carefully, he pulling her warm body up against him and leaned into her as he attempted to make out the words that she was trying to form.

And what came out was this:

"D-damn you...you...Hiten...you h-horny...b-bastard..."

- end chapter 15 -

* * *

**A/N: **There, hope you liked the waff! I enjoyed writing this chapter very much. And there's an important bit of reference to the Hiten's forgotten memories in the previous part (part I) of DT, towards the end of this chapter. I'm not telling where, I can only say that it comes from an encounter with Kagome, in chapter 3. A hint though, is "The females he'd laid with – those he was fond enough to allow – had remarked that he'd always had a particular obsession with their backs." Chocolate chip cookies for those who remember =D

By the by, if I were to be my own critique, one of the biggest peeves I would have with myself is – the lack of scenarios of them actually doing things, other than sleeping, camping, eating, traveling and bathing. Yes, my lack of creativity in this regard gets on my nerves constantly, and I am always trying to think of new things for them to be 'doing'. So dear friends, if any of you have any ideas or tips for me, big or small, I'd be utterly overjoyed xD

**Review's Corner  
**

**x0SilverFeathersx0** - Thank you sugar! You know what, I get that same tingly, tickling feeling too! And I thought it was just me. (Everyone I asked said they encountered no such thing, imagine that O_O) Anyway I'm so glad you enjoyed the story. I think a writers greatest joy is to bring pleasure to her readers :D

**ValleyKnown** – Great to hear from you too. I've missed all of you! To explain things, 1. Yes, that was a flashback of one of his journeys where he'd encountered the Hell Spawns, and how he was tortured by them before finally escaping. More on this will come at a later part. As for the scream, my bad. It was actually the scream of a dragon, haha!

**Raven the Guardian** – And thank you, my dear, for your sweet, sweet comment :D

**fluffy wolfy** – you're wonderful just for coming back again, even after I've been gone for so long =) Thanks!

**s()m3boDy** – Well I keep bearing in mind that although a lot seems to have happened, just barely three days has passed. Still, in this chapter, I've moved them on to another point of the relationship. Hopefully it isn't too rushed xD

**Chickka** – Thank YOU for reading! Muah.

**Dumdeedum** – Aww you've stuck by me for so long, thank you from the bottom of my heart xD It's partly because dear readers like yourself, who leave such wonderful reviews, that keep me going =D

**Ms. Videl Son** – HEY DARLS. It's been so long, aye! Have you gotten married yet? lol~!

**SimplyTurquoise** – And here's the new chappie~ Another dear old friend. Thank you!

**Delicious Mistress **– Thank you dear. It's comments like yours that make my day and makes me want to write more. Thanks again :)

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And once again, to all the wonderful readers who've left comments, rest assured that I treasure all, and never leave out a single one =) Thanks to everyone for reading!


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